From a career as a local journalist in northern England, Clarkson rose to public prominence as a presenter of the original format of "Top Gear" in 1988. Since the mid-1990s, he has become a recognised public personality, regularly appearing on British television presenting his own shows for BBC and appearing as a guest on other shows. As well as motoring, Clarkson has produced programmes and books on subjects such as history and engineering. In 1998, he hosted the first series of "Robot Wars", and from 1998 to 2000 he also hosted his own talk show, "Clarkson".