Michael Palin has squared up for a battle with Jeremy Clarkson over the attitudes to cars and driving promoted by the BBC programme Top Gear, which Clarkson presents.

The former Monty Python star chairs Transport 2000, a group campaigning for an environmentally sensitive transport policy, which has called for the BBC to remove Top Gear from its schedule. Instead it wants the corporation to make a show called Third Gear, which would be "devoted to encouraging responsible motoring based on less environmentally damaging cars, considerate and safety-conscious driving, and exploration of alternatives to the car."

A spokesman for Transport 2000 said Top Gear treats environmental issues with contempt and accused Clarkson of "encouraging a ‘yobbish’ attitude on the road."

But Palin may have little to fear from the burly presenter. Despite landing three punches on the former editor of the Daily Mirror, Piers Morgan, last year, Clarkson acknowledged that the editor came off better. "He's won," Clarkson said at the time. "I've hurt my finger and he's fine."

The BBC defended Top Gear, which is one of the most popular shows on BBC Two. A spokesman said the programme regularly features items about greener motoring, as well as discussions on a whole range of motoring topics.

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