The BBC’s director of entertainment Ed Havard told the Edinburgh TV Festival on Thursday: “There has been a lot of speculation about this and we can confirm that Top Gear is coming back.
“I’m not going to talk about talent today.”
Asked whether Jimmy Carr would be hosting, he replied: “Jimmy would be a great host but I won’t be discussing that today.
“We will have more information on Top Gear shortly.”
Former rugby player and Celebrity Traitors star Joe Marler is also reportedly in the frame to host.
Top Gear began in 1977 and became one of the BBC’s biggest hits in the hands of Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May in the 2000s.
They were replaced by broadcaster Chris Evans and Friends star Matt LeBlanc, before Flintoff, McGuinness and Harris took over in 2018.
The BBC apologised and paid compensation to Flintoff following his crash.
He has described being dragged face-down underneath the Morgan Super 3 car for about 50 metres. “I thought I was dead,” he told a Disney+ documentary last year.
