After four years off our screens, the BBC is officially rebooting Top Gear… again.
Ed Havard, the BBC’s director of entertainment, told audiences at the Edinburgh TV Festival that: ‘Top Gear is coming back.’
While nothing official has been announced, there are rumours that the Beeb is already in talks with at least two new hosts.
It was reported this weekend that comedian Jimmy Carr is in negotiations with the BBC about taking over hosting duties, although Ed refused to comment on those reports.
Supposedly,former rugby player turned TV titan (thanks to an unforgettable stint on Celebrity Traitors), Joe Marler will be joining Jimmy in the driving seat.
However, at this time, no deals have been signed.
BBC Chief Content Officer Kate Phillip, also at the TV festival, said: ‘There’s been a lot of speculation about [Top Gear’s return].
‘We can confirm Top Gear is coming back. I won’t talk about talent. Jimmy [Carr] would be a great host, but we are not discussing talent today.’
Top Gear has been off the air since December 18, 2022, after a high-speed crash involving host Freddie Flintoff.
Following the crash, the BBC has announced that Top Gear will not be returning to TV ‘for the foreseeable future,’ explaining it had ‘decided to rest the UK show’.
The BBC added: ‘ [We] remain committed to Freddie, Chris and Paddy who have been at the heart of the show’s renaissance since 2019, and we’re excited about new projects being developed with each of them.
‘We will have more to say in the near future on this. We know resting the show will be disappointing news for fans, but it is the right thing to do.’
Freddie and the BBC later reached a settlement with the BBC, reportedly worth £9million.
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