Jimmy Carr is reportedly in talks with BBC bosses to front a reboot of Top Gear.
Back in May, it was rumoured the broadcaster was planning to bring the motor show back to screens, four years after it was axed following Freddie Flintoff’s near-fatal car crash.
The programme was shelved after Freddie, 48, was left with horrific injuries when the open-top car he was testing flipped over and slid along the track at the Dunsfold Park Aerodrome in Surrey in December 2022.
Now, insiders say petrolhead Jimmy, 53, is close to signing a contract to host the show.
A source told The Sun: ‘Production have their sights set on Jimmy, he’s the ideal host to take the show into a new era and revive Top Gear. He’s keen to work on something mainstream after spending so many years fronting comedy panel shows.
‘He’s a real car buff, too, so it would be a passion project. Casting directors are now working to find talent to join him in the new-look ensemble.
Jimmy Carr is reportedly in talks with BBC bosses to front a reboot of Top Gear
‘Bosses are considering a woman and online celebrities to complement Jimmy.’
A BBC Studios spokesperson said: ‘We have no update on the TV show and we don’t comment on speculation.’
Jimmy famously topped the ‘Star in a Reasonably Priced Car’ leaderboard in the Suzuki Liana back on the show in 2004 and boasts an impressive motor collection.
He also previously expressed his desire to host Top Gear. He said: ‘If it comes up, yeah, call me! Call me straight away. I would do that in a heartbeat. I think it’s maybe the best job in television.’
A new line-up of hosts would replace Freddie, Chris Harris and Paddy McGuinness.
Alongside motoring journalist Chris and comedian Paddy, Freddie had fronted Top Gear since 2019, guiding the show back to success following a period of turmoil after its star presenters and the show parted company in 2015.
The trio had been praised for improving the quality of the show after a tumultuous period that came with the departure of Jeremy Clarkson, whose contract wasn’t renewed after punching a producer. This prompted his co-stars James May and Richard Hammond to quit out of loyalty to Jeremy.
The new line-up of hosts would replace Freddie, Chris Harris and Paddy McGuinness
However, co-star Chris had previously raised concerns over the safety of some of the stunts on the show, which had gradually moved away from providing consumer advice on cars in favour of motoring-based entertainment.
Speaking to podcaster Joe Rogan, the presenter said he had warned the BBC three months before the accident that there could be a ‘serious injury’ or ‘fatality’.
He said: ‘What was never spoken about was that three months before the accident, I’d gone to the BBC and said, ‘Unless you change something, someone’s going to die on this show.’
‘So I went to them, I went to the BBC and I told them of my concerns from what I’d seen – as the most experienced driver on the show by a mile.’
While Paddy and Freddie were ‘brilliant entertainers’, he said they ‘didn’t have the experience I had in cars’.
Former England cricket captain Freddie was racing a three-wheeled Morgan Super 3 sports car before the vehicle flipped and dragged him across the tarmac nose down for 50m.
He has since made a remarkable return to the public eye, launching a coaching career with the help of his long-term friend Rob Key, the England and Wales Cricket Board’s men’s director of cricket.
Shortly after the crash, the BBC announced Top Gear would be rested for the ‘foreseeable future’ and Freddie reportedly received a £9million settlement from the BBC.
The UK show is currently sold to more than 150 territories and there are 11 local format versions including in the United States, France and Finland.
Top Gear magazine is the world’s largest monthly motoring magazine with 30 licensed local editions, including China, France and Japan.
