Richard Hammond: 'Top Gear will be back some day'
The show – which Hammond famously co-hosted between 2002 and 2015 – was officially rested by the BBC last year.
Richard Hammond has revealed he reckons Top Gear will eventually return in some form – after it was announced last year that the motoring show would not be back for the foreseeable future.
Hammond famously presented the long-running series alongside Jeremy Clarkson and James May for several years until they departed in 2015, with the trio subsequently going on to make several episodes of their new show, The Grand Tour, for Prime Video.
That series is now also set to come to a close – with the upcoming special The Grand Tour: Sand Job set to be the penultimate instalment.
Ahead of Sand Job's debut, Hammond was asked by Radio Times magazine if he thought the end may be in sight for this kind of programme more generally.
"I very much doubt it," was his response. "Top Gear was on hiatus when we took it on so it’ll come back one day, although in what shape I don’t know.
"The decision to buy our next car is probably the most significant contribution we can make as individuals to the future, so we need to be informed. Maybe that’s the route it could take?"
Read more:
- The Grand Tour shares first look at penultimate special in trailer
- The Grand Tour’s Richard Hammond teases “surprise” in Sand Job
He added: "As for shows like The Grand Tour, I don’t think the human desire for adventure is ever going to be sated. It’ll continue in different forms, modified to suit its time."
Top Gear was most recently presented by the trio of Freddie Flintoff, Chris Harris, and Paddy McGuinness, but the future of the show was called into question when Flintoff was injured in a car crash at Dunsfold Park Aerodrome in Surrey in late 2022.
By entering your details, you are agreeing to our terms and conditions and privacy policy. You can unsubscribe at any time.
The BBC confirmed in November that further seasons would now be put on hold, with a statement explaining that it "remains 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".
The statement concluded: "We know resting the show will be disappointing news for fans, but it is the right thing to do."
The Grand Tour: Sand Job launches globally on 16th February on Prime Video. Try Amazon Prime Video for free for 30 days. Plus, read our guides to the best Amazon Prime series and the best movies on Amazon Prime.
Check out more of our Entertainment coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.
Try Radio Times magazine today and get 10 issues for only £10 – subscribe now. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Authors
Patrick Cremona is the Senior Film Writer at Radio Times, and looks after all the latest film releases both in cinemas and on streaming. He has been with the website since October 2019, and in that time has interviewed a host of big name stars and reviewed a diverse range of movies.
