BBC Confirms Top Gear Is Coming Back After Four-Year Hiatus

The BBC has confirmed that work is underway on a new season of Top Gear — the show's first since it went off air in 2022. Ed Havard, the BBC's director of entertainment, made the announcement at the Edinburgh TV Festival on Thursday, telling attendees simply: "Top Gear is coming back." (Deadline)

The confirmation ends a four-year absence that began after presenter Andrew Flintoff was badly injured in a crash at Dunsfold Park Aerodrome in Surrey, England, in 2022. Flintoff was driving a three-wheeled Morgan Super 3 when the car overturned, dragging him face down for roughly 50 metres. The BBC later apologised to Flintoff over the accident. A driving consultant involved in the production, Paul Rees, is currently suing BBC Studios for £150,000 ($200,000) over the crash. (Deadline)

Who will front the revived show remains unanswered. Deadline reports that talks are underway with comedian Jimmy Carr to take over as host, and that the BBC is also considering Joe Marler, a former England rugby player, as a potential presenter. No deals are in place. Havard declined to comment on the Carr reports. (Deadline)

Top Gear has cycled through several presenting line-ups over the past decade. The show became a global phenomenon under Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, James May and producer Andy Wilman. When that team departed, Chris Evans and Matt LeBlanc led a 2016 reboot that the BBC unveiled with a seven-presenter line-up. Evans and LeBlanc were eventually replaced by Chris Harris, Paddy McGuinness and Andrew Flintoff — the trio on screen when production halted. (Deadline; BBC Media Centre)

For a programme that once drew record ratings — the 2016 reboot premiered to what the BBC called record audiences on BBC Brit in South Africa — the gap has been long. (BBC Media Centre)

The BBC has not announced a premiere date, episode count, or production timeline for the new season.