Chris Evans could make Top Gear a CarFest again

Nobody knows.

All I do know is that — barring some minor miracle — Rotherham has lost its claim on the show now that former ‘tiser boy Jeremy and Oakwood alumni James are out.

As for the rest, I think it looks good.

Aside from the one-off specials which took the show across Africa, Asia and elsewhere, I can probably count on both hands how many times I’ve watched Top Gear over the past five years.

For someone who spends much of his time driving, reading and writing about cars, that might sound a bit odd.

But how I had tired of the constant exploding caravans, endless hatchback football games and home-made transport solutions.

Never had a show become more formulaic and repetitive since Blue Peter became an excuse for Katie Hill to go skiiing every other week in the mid-90s. Nice teeth, though...

No, despite the extremely watchable chemistry between Clarkson, May and the man formally known as “The Hamster”, Top Gear was ready for a change.

Fresh from the memory-jogging revival of TFI Friday, Chris Evans is the right man for the job.

Aside from being a huge Ferrari fan and classic car collector, anyone who has bought into the hugely successful CarFest phenomenon he devised as a way of supporting Children In Need should know as much.

These events, based at Jodie Sheckter’s pad down South and the not-so-Northern location of Oulton Park race circuit in Cheshire, go some way to proving that the one-time breakfast TV host is not only a devout petrolhead, but also understands his audience.

In a car-mad country with no motor show, where the Goodwood Festival of Speed has run away with the petrol-fuelled festival of power, Evans is central to an event which not only appeals to car nerds, but also families...

On my last visit I was making my way out of Oulton Park when a golf buggy sped towards us. On the back, bidding farewell to guests down a loud hailer in person, was Evans.

Well-known for his infectious energy and enthusiasm, he takes the success of CarFest very much upon himself and I suspect as much will be true of Top Gear.

Ditch the tiresome hatchback football and constant crashing and exploding of caravans and things will soon be moving in the right direction.

The fact that Evans has already taken to his Twitter account to suggest the show will be featuring more motorcycles and perhaps even a visit to the excellent and too-often-ignored Isle of Man TT is also hugely encouraging to my eyes.

How can such a staggering event have been ignored by all but ITV3 for so long...?

Only two areas of concern remain. Who will be Evans’ co-presenters and how can he possibly improve the show’s appeal across the globe?

On the latter point, I believe Top Gear can suit British audiences far better but fear it has reached the peak of its powers in terms of sheer viewing figures. The Beeb is going to have to take a pragmatic approach to how they guage their new-look show’s success.

In terms of the co-presenters, no James Martin and please, please, no Nick Grimshaw.

My advice: Forge those TT links early and get Guy Martin on-board.