The BBC has officially confirmed the return of the iconic motoring show «Top Gear» after a nearly four-year hiatus. Kursiv LifeStyle looks at who is rumored to host the show.
Ed Havard, the BBC’s director of entertainment, made the announcement this during a panel discussion at the Edinburgh TV Festival, The Guardian reported. The show was taken off the air after co-host Andrew Flintoff was involved in an accident on set in 2022. He overturned a three-wheeled vehicle and sustained serious facial injuries.
The new host has not yet been revealed. Havard was directly asked about comedian and car enthusiast Jimmy Carr being considered for the role.
«I’m not going to talk about talent today. Jimmy would be a great host but I won’t be discussing that today,» The Guardian quoted Havard as saying.
Along with Carr, other media figures are also rumored for the role:
- Joe Marler: former England rugby player and «The Celebrity Traitors» star;
- Jodie Kidd: fashion model and racing driver. Kidd has made several appearances on «Top Gear» and competed in races in Italy;
- Gordon Ramsay: prominent chef who has appeared on the show as a guest more than once and owns an impressive collection of supercars;
- Rowan Atkinson: iconic actor and passionate car enthusiast. In the 17th season, he completed the lap in 1 minute 42.2 seconds, topping the leaderboard among celebrities at the time.
«Top Gear» is considered one of the BBC’s most successful projects. The show gained its greatest popularity after being relaunched in 2002 with Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May as hosts. Since then, 240 episodes across 33 series have aired, including specials. The last episode aired on Dec. 18, 2022.
Previously, Kursiv LifeStyle reported that Clarkson was diagnosed with cancer.
