The BBC’s Director of Entertainment has confirmed that Top Gear will be returning.
He revealed the news at the Edinburgh TV Festival – as rumours gathered pace that Jimmy Carr would be fronting the reboot.
“There has been a lot of speculation about this and we can confirm that Top Gear is coming back,” said Ed Havard.
“I’m not going to talk about talent today.”
Although he added:
“Jimmy would be a great host but I won’t be discussing that today.”
Top Gear has been off the air since 2022, after Andrew Flintoff suffered life-changing injuries when an open-topped, 3-wheeled car he was driving overturned.
He presented alongside fellow North West host, Paddy McGuinness, and car journalist, Chris Harris.
Top Gear dates back to the 1970s, originally fronted by Angela Rippon and Tom Coyne.
Jeremy Clarkson took the driving seat in the 80s, but it really found global fame when he was joined by Richard Hammond and James May in the 2000s.
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After a “fracas” involving a sandwich and lack of steak in a Yorkshire hotel, the trio were replaced by Chris Evans and Matt LeBlanc, with Flintoff, Harris and McGuinness taking over in 2018.
When they left, Clarkson, Hammond and May signed a reported £160m deal with Prime. That started with car show, The Grand Tour and later the hugely successful Clarkson’s Farm.
The Grand Tour itself is getting a reboot next week, with the trio handing over to new presenters YouTubers Thomas Holland and James Engelman, and TikTok train fanatic Francis Bourgeois (real name Luke Magnus Nicolson).
