BBC confirms Top Gear is officially returning 4 years after Freddie Flintoff crash

| Deputy TV editor Published August 27, 2026 11:02am Updated August 27, 2026 11:16am Start your engines because Top Gear is back! (Picture: BBC) 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. The BBC refused to confirm if Jimmy Carr would present the rebooted motoring show (Picture: Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock) 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. Freddie presented the show along with Chris Harris and Paddy McGuinness (Picture: BBC) 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. Deals of the Day Shop MySweetSmile's biggest Bank Holiday offers before they end Back-to-school shopping just got a lot cheaper thanks to Primark The back-to-school essential parents forget every year – and it could cost them Simba's cooling mattresses are now up to 30% off ahead of the bank holiday The best hosepipe ban-friendly products to protect your garden this summer The Sun reported that Freddie had been left with ‘life-altering significant’ injuries. Arrow MORE: BBC drops intense new Celebrity Traitors series 2 trailer and fans ‘can’t wait’ Arrow MORE: Casualty confirms when explosive 40th anniversary episodes will air Arrow MORE: Peter Kay leaves BBC presenter speechless after crashing live weather report again TV Newsletter Sign up and tell us which TV shows you love to watch to get personalised updates every morning.