Top Gear needs a rethink, says James May as BBC rests show

Flintoff was involved in a crash at the Dunsfold Aerodrome, Surrey, in December last year while filming on the Top Gear test track, which led to filming for the 34th season being halted.

May, who previously hosted the show alongside Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond, told BBC Radio 4's Today Podcast that a new approach to the show is needed.

"My honest view is – I can say this now – it does need a bit of a rethink," he said.

"It's time for a new format and a new approach to the subject because the subject has not been this interesting, I suspect, since the car has been invented."

After Clarkson, May and Hammond left the series in 2015, the trio began working on a new series on Amazon Prime Video, The Grand Tour.

He noted that since their departure, the motoring series has "followed a very similar format and framework to the way we left it".

He added: "We're getting quite old and we already do that. There's another way. I'm not saying I know what it is but there must be another way of doing a show about cars that will perhaps embrace more fulsomely many of the questions that are being asked about cars now that weren't for a long time."

When asked to clarify what a new format of Top Gear could be, he said: "Like everything else in the world now, [cars] are under scrutiny.

"How they're used, how they're made, how they're disposed of, what they are used for, how we take responsibility for them, how they are powered. All of these things are in question with cars, which makes them a fascinating subject for this time."

Following the news of Top Gear not returning, the corporation said in a statement: "[It] remains committed to Freddie, Chris [Harris] and Paddy [McGuinness], 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. All other Top Gear activity remains unaffected by this hiatus, including international formats, digital, magazines and licensing."

Previous seasons of Top Gear are available to stream on BBC iPlayer.

Looking for something else to watch in the meantime? Check out our TV Guide or visit our dedicated Entertainment hub.

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