As sure as night follows day, Jeremy Clarkson can always be relied on to spout his usual A-level results day tweet about how getting “a C and two Us” never did him any harm.

And while his annual tweet usually sparks a wave of eye-rolls, this year it also inspired a subtle dig from none other than Top Gear’s current presenter Paddy McGuinness.

Dependable as ever, Clarkson tweeted on Thursday morning: “A level results not great? Don’t worry, I got a C and 2 Us and I’m currently building a large house with far reaching views of the Cotswolds.” 

Referring to the upset many A-level students have faced at having their automated grades so much lower than predicted, he also commented, sensitively as ever: “And I didn’t even get the chance to insist the government gave me three As instead.”

Hours later, Paddy posted a similar tweet, writing: “A level results not great? Don’t worry, I got a C and two Us and I’m the host of the worlds biggest motoring show, Top Gear.” 

Paddy later cryptically added: “Some lovely fishing to be had after my last tweet. With the right bait in the water they’ll jump straight into the net.

“Having said that, a few folk took it literally? The mind boggles?”

He also replied with the fishing emoji to what appeared to be a few of Clarkson’s fans in his mentions, posting messages like “stick to Take Me Out” and branding him “half a c***”.

Clarkson was, of course, the host of Top Gear for more than a decade, until the BBC made the decision not to renew his contract, following a much-publicised “fracas” with a crew member while filming on location.

Since then, the show has undergone a fair few transformations, though its current incarnation, with Paddy, Andrew Flintoff and Chris Harris at the helm seems to have gone down well with viewers.

A new series of Top Gear began filming in June.