It’s hard to believe that the Daily Car Blog, an obscure car blog operating on a shoestring and no budget, has managed to outlive the legendary TV motoring gem that was Top Gear. Top Gear began broadcasting in 1977, with presenters at the time being serious, well-informed motoring journalists who exuded gravitas and an almost academic stature. This era of highly polished presenting came to an end in 2001. Then, in 2002, Jeremy Clarkson took over the reins and revolutionized how motoring shows should be crafted for a contemporary TV audience.

While you can express many negative opinions about Jeremy Clarkson (90 percent negative) his visionary approach and presenting style changed everything, turning the once enigmatic show into something akin to “Blue Peter on steroids.” If you’re unfamiliar with Blue Peter, you can look it up on Wiki. Regardless, under Clarkson, Hammond, and May, the show skyrocketed to become a global phenomenon and a highly lucrative source of revenue for the BBC.

Everything was going smoothly until one day in 2015 when Clarkson assaulted one of his producers. Subsequently, the BBC dropped Clarkson, and Hammond and May also decided to depart. The three reunited to create a motoring show for Amazon Prime, titled The Grand Tour, which became another hit. Meanwhile, Top Gear remained but was never the same again.

The chemistry that Clarkson, Hammond, and May brought to the show was integral, and that connection cannot be replicated. Despite a succession of presenters passing through the Top Gear corridors, the show was never able to recapture the same magic. Fast forward to the present, and current Top Gear presenter Freddie Flintoff, ex-cricket superstar, finds himself in the hospital after enduring a serious crash.

Little is known about the crash, but it was serious enough to prompt the BBC to postpone the show. A year later, Flintoff has not granted any interviews and has yet to fully recover from his injuries, indicating the severity of the crash. Today, the BBC has decided to “rest” Top Gear, a euphemistic way of signalling that Top Gear is likely concluded and may never return.

But who knows? Perhaps in 5 or 10 years, a new set of presenters will emerge to recreate the ‘Original Spice’ of Top Gear for a new generation of petrol heads. However, the traditional scheduled TV format has been forever altered with the advent of the internet and streaming services. The new generation of petrol heads has shifted to platforms like YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Netflix, Amazon Prime, etc. Perhaps Top Gear is now concluded for good.