2 Start at the bottom

You won't just become Jeremy Clarkson overnight. JC is pretty good but even he didn't. 

Like me, JC started on a local newspaper. Then he moved onto crappy small magazines that no-one read. It was many years before he reached Top Gear. You have to start low, even if you aim high.

This process can take a long time. An average dude like me had to start as a trainee journalist on a free newspaper in Oxford. After two years I was allowed to test a car one of the senior writers had borrowed. 

On my next job I did a couple of motoring pieces. And it wasn't until my third job in local papers that I had a chance to take over the motoring slot - it was considered just a small part of the week's work. 

I didn't work on a proper motoring magazine (Autocar) until I was an experienced writer and subeditor. And I didn't make it to Top Gear until I'd worked on a couple of other motoring magazines. Even then, I never made it in front of the TV cameras - I just worked behind the scenes.

This isn't about entering an X Factor for Top Gear presenters - it's career path.