Top Gear Is Coming Back – But Who’s Going To Drive It?

Well, it’s official. After four years sitting in the BBC’s metaphorical garage, Top Gear is coming back.

And before you reach for your driving gloves, leather jacket and copy of The Grand Tour, there’s a rather important bit of small print: we don’t yet know who’s going to be behind the wheel.

The BBC confirmed the news at the Edinburgh TV Festival, finally putting an end to years of speculation about whether one of Britain’s best-known motoring shows would ever return to our screens.

Ed Havard, the BBC’s director of entertainment, confirmed that Top Gear is coming back, although he was rather less forthcoming when it came to who would actually be presenting it.

Which, let's be honest, is probably wise. Announcing the return of Top Gear without announcing the presenters gives everyone something to argue about for the next few months.

And we’re already doing it.

So, what happened to Top Gear?

The last proper Top Gear series featured Andrew ‘Freddie’ Flintoff alongside Paddy McGuinness and Chris Harris.

Then, in December 2022, everything went rather spectacularly wrong.

Flintoff was filming at Dunsfold Aerodrome in Surrey when the open-topped three-wheeled Morgan Super 3 he was driving overturned. He suffered serious facial and rib injuries in the crash, and the BBC subsequently decided to put the programme on hold.

The show was subsequently described as being “rested” for the foreseeable future.

And that appeared to be that, for a while, anyway.

There was plenty of speculation that Top Gear had effectively run its final lap, particularly given the circumstances surrounding Flintoff's accident. But the BBC has now decided that the old girl still has some miles left in her.

Quite a lot of miles, presumably.

But who will present it?

Ah. Now we're getting into the interesting bit.

The BBC isn't saying.

At the Edinburgh TV Festival, Havard was asked directly whether comedian Jimmy Carr would be taking over as presenter following reports that he was in talks with the BBC.

His response was suitably non-committal, saying that Carr “would be a great host” but that he wasn't going to discuss the talent involved.

So, that's a “maybe” rather than a “yes”.

Former rugby player Joe Marler has also been mentioned as a potential presenter, although again, nothing has been officially confirmed.

And perhaps that's just as well.

Because whoever gets the job has one hell of a pair of boots to fill, as trying to recreate the old Top Gear would be like trying to rebuild your favourite Land Rover using bits from three different vehicles and hoping nobody notices.

People will notice.

Can Top Gear actually work again?

That's the big question.

The Top Gear name is still enormous, but the television landscape has changed considerably since the programme was last on air.

We've got YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, countless automotive channels and enough car content online to keep you occupied until the next MOT.

And then there's The Grand Tour, which effectively became the spiritual successor to the Clarkson, Hammond and May version of Top Gear.

So what does the BBC do with it now?

Hopefully, it doesn't try to make it into something it isn't.

The best versions of Top Gear worked because they were funny, occasionally ridiculous, occasionally informative and, most importantly, didn't take themselves too seriously.

There was always the feeling that something could go spectacularly wrong at any moment.

Which, ironically, is probably something the BBC will now be rather keen to avoid.

What happens next?

For the moment, we're waiting.

The BBC says we'll have more information shortly, but there is currently no confirmed presenter line-up or broadcast date.

And that leaves us with the big question.

Who should bring Top Gear back?

Jimmy Carr? Joe Marler? Someone completely unexpected?

Or should the BBC forget about celebrity presenters altogether and find three people who actually know, love and occasionally abuse cars?

Personally, I'd rather see the latter.

Because Top Gear doesn't need another famous face.

It needs chemistry.

It needs people who genuinely get excited about cars, can take the mickey out of each other and aren't afraid to look like complete idiots in the process.

In other words, it needs Top Gear.

Let's just hope the BBC remembers what made it work in the first place.

And perhaps, this time, keeps the three-wheeled cars firmly in the garage.