The former Top Gear presenter was fired from the show after allegedly punching producer Oisin Tymon in a row over the provision of a hot meal (steak) after a long day of filming.

Clarkson along with co-hosts Richard Hammond and James May now front a new big budget motoring show to be aired on Amazon Prime.

But before landing the new role he founded three new companies to house planned commercial projects. These are called Chump Holdings Limited, Chump Productions Limited and W Chump & Sons Limited.

Analysis by Creditsafe shows this helped him become the most sought after company director in the UK, at least when it comes to people investigating information about his business interests.

Free online searches allow anyone to find out details about any business, including the number of owners, their names, other company appointments as well as financial details about the business and what it does.

The other directors of Clarkson’s companies are listed as James May, Richard Hammond and Andrew Wilman. Wilman is best known as the former executive producer of Top Gear.

It is not uncommon for TV personalities to create their own production companies as vehicles for creative projects. Paul O'Grady famously did so in 2005. Mel Smith and Griff Rhys Jones set up Talkback Productions in 1981, selling it in 2000 for a cool £62 million.

The top 10 most searched for directors also featured Peter Jones from the BBC’s Dragons’ Den and Lord Alan Sugar, host of popular business reality show The Apprentice.

The only two women to feature in the list were Dawn Ward, director of Bilton Ward construction business who features in TV show The Real Housewives of Essex, and Ultimo underwear tycoon Baroness Michelle Mone.

Rachel Mainwaring, operations director at Creditsafe UK, said: “Jeremy Clarkson may have made headlines for all the wrong reason last year, but he is a shrewd businessman who recognises the worth of his brand.

“A television production for Amazon combined with licensing and merchandising will undoubtedly earn him and his fellow director friends huge sums.

“Regular fixtures in Creditsafe’s ‘most Searched’ list Peter Jones and Lord Sugar retain their positions in the top 10 once again.”

New entries on the list include Russell Blaikie who oversaw a pre-pack deal to try and save Statestrong Products, a North West manufacturer of aerosols, bottles and tubs in 2014 which entered administration again in October last year.