Jimmy Carr is reportedly in talks to host Top Gear four years after the BBC show was shelved following Freddie Flintoff’s horror crash.
The 53-year-old comedian is said to be the front-runner to lead a reboot of the motoring programme, with BBC Studios already working on plans for a possible return next year.
Bosses are reportedly considering a female presenter and online personalities to join Jimmy as part of a new line-up.
A source told The Sun that bosses see Jimmy as the ‘ideal host’ to bring the show back, with casting reportedly under way for other members of the presenting team.
‘Production have their sights set on Jimmy, he’s the ideal host to take the show into a new era and revive Top Gear,’ the source said.
‘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.’
The new team would replace Paddy McGuinness, Chris Harris and former England cricketer Andrew ‘Freddie’ Flintoff, whose career was dramatically affected by a crash while filming the show in December 2022.
Flintoff was left with serious facial injuries and later reached a settlement with the BBC.
The BBC subsequently announced that Top Gear would not return for the foreseeable future, with production paused following the crash.
Jimmy is no stranger to the show, having appeared as a guest in 2004.
He even recorded the fastest lap on the programme’s celebrity leaderboard at the time.
The comedian has previously spoken about his love of cars and described Top Gear as ‘one of the biggest shows in the world’.
His own collection has included a custom-built Aston Martin DB6 and a Bentley Continental GT.
Jimmy has also previously backed electric cars, saying: ‘I love classic cars, but go electric. That’s the way forward.’
If the reboot goes ahead, it would mark the latest attempt to revive one of the BBC’s biggest motoring franchises.
Top Gear first launched in 1977 before being transformed into a global hit under Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May.
Clarkson joined the programme as a presenter in 1988 and later fronted its hugely popular revival from 2002 until 2015.
At its peak on BBC Two, Top Gear attracted millions of viewers and became a worldwide franchise, spawning books, DVDs and live tours.
However, the show’s future has remained uncertain since Flintoff’s crash.
The BBC said: ‘We have no update on the TV show and don’t comment on speculation.’