New Top Gear presenter Chris Evans has confirmed he will be joined by a female co-host on the show, sparking speculation about who will fill the spots left by Richard Hammond and James May.
Evans, who was announced as the new host of the BBC show on Tuesday, told Radio 5 Live’s Nicky Campbell he could “100%” confirm he would have a female co-star “but not for the sake of it”.
He also said he wants co-hosts who are “keen and eager to do things differently”.
Evans added: “I want people who are extremely knowledgeable about cars, I want to have people who have great energy, people who have good timing, people who have warmth about them, people who are keen and eager to do things differently.”
But who do you think should be in the driving seat? Below, we list some of the contenders (with their current odds at William Hill) – let us know what you think in the comments below.
Jodie Kidd (5/4)
Former model Kidd insisted last year in the Radio Times she would never join “those boys” on Top Gear, but has become more coy in recent months, telling the Daily Mail this week: “Maybe I am and maybe I am not. Nothing to celebrate yet.”
In a previous appearance on Top Gear, she topped the show’s Star in a Reasonably Priced Car leaderboard, with a time of 1 minute, 48 seconds.
Kidd also hosts Channel 5’s The Classic Car Show; veteran co-host Quentin Willson admits she is a better driver than him “without a shadow of a doubt”.
Suzi Perry (6/1)
Perry has been covering Formula One for the BBC for two years, and before that was the BBC’s MotoGP motorcycle racing correspondent for 13 years.
She said in the Daily Telegraph last year she turned down the chance to host Top Gear with Jeremy Clarkson when she was asked in the late 90s: “Years ago, when TV was about to bring Top Gear back and rebrand it with Jeremy, James and Richard, I sat down and talked to Andy Wilman, the series producer, about joining them.
“I remember thinking, ‘I might be out of my depth and it might not be a good idea’, instead of grabbing the opportunity.
“Looking back, I may have made a large error, but it’s not like I didn’t work for the next 15 years. I don’t regret it – but it was probably a bad decision.”
Sue Perkins (6/1)
The Great British Bake Off presenter is still in the running at William Hill despite appearing to rule out the role.
Perkins is also still on a break from Twitter after the abuse she suffered when previously tipped as favourite to take over from Clarkson.
She said she had received comments from “blokes wishing me dead”, including one who “suggested they’d like to see me burn to death”.
Vicki Butler-Henderson (7/1)
Henderson has previous Top Gear experience, having appeared regularly before leaving to present Channel 5’s Fifth Gear.
She has the petrolhead credentials for the show, having been a road tester at What Car? magazine.
Clarkson has written of her: “Vicki Butler-Henderson … does not have a scrotum. You know Vicki as the sometime presenter of Fifth Gear. I know her as a mate. And last month, I got to know her as a driver.
“Jesus, she’s good. I was in an Aston Martin DBS convertible. She was in a Ferrari California and we had most of Silverstone to play with. By rights, I should have kicked her arse. I had four more cylinders, a million more horsepowers and two more testicles. I didn’t though. I couldn’t even get close.”
Sandi Toksvig
The presenter who quit Radio 4’s The News Quiz to launch her own political party might be an offbeat choice – but she could help balance Evans’ boyishness.
Toksvig rides a motorbike, and recently revealed to Radio Times that she had been “taking lessons from a large man in leathers”.
