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Top Gear has scooped the award for Best Factual Drama at the National Television Awards.

But motoring megamouth and presenter of the popular BBC 2 programme Jeremy Clarkson joked backstage that “we haven’t put a fact in Top Gear now for at least four years.”

Newsreader Kirsty Young was on hand to deliver the award, at a glittering ceremony held in London’s Royal Albert Hall.

On receiving the award, pint-sized presenter Richard Hammond joked about his infamous high-speed crash, saying: “This is great lads, because this year I didn’t have to have a big crash and win the sympathy vote or anything. We just won fair and square.”

But Clarkson proved true to his sardonic self when he noted that the hit BBC show had dropped two million viewers in a series, asking Hammond: “Could you crash again?”

Clarkson was called onto the stage again – this time to pick up the special recognition award.

And F1 superstar Lewis Hamilton was on hand to award the 6’5” presenter with his prize.

He asked Hamilton – who last week said he was planning to quit Britain and move to Switzerland: “Are you really going to Switzerland because, Lewis, there are 187 countries in the world. Switzerland for goodness sake. Belgium yes, maybe but Switzerland?”

And in a jibe to Hamilton’s McLaren team-mate, Clarkson said: “Tell Fernando Alonso his eyebrows are too big.”

“We’re looking forward to having you down in a couple of weeks even though your boss said you can’t drive anything that’s not a Mercedes. We’ll sort it out.”

Hamilton said Top Gear had always been one of his favourite shows.

Clarkson said Top Gear was a ‘playground’: “It’s just the most fun in the world.”

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