[sandworm101]

>> ego-deflating counterpoint to the very blokey, British energy.

Comedy isn't math. Counterpoints look good on paper but Clarkson understood that counterpoint quickly becomes compromise. Adding a female presenter would also be dangerous. The image of three oldish guys chasing a younger female around a track, or across europe, would be dangerous. Top Gear doubled down on the blokey behavior and that lack of compromise made the show what it was.