Motoring mayhem

Top Gear’s trio of presenters – Chris Harris, Freddie Flintoff and Paddy McGuinness – are speeding to your screen with season 31 of car chaos on BBC Brit (*120)

- CRAIG FALCK

Season 31 of the world’s most famous car review show Top Gear has taken its hosts out of Great Britain for the first time in 18 months thanks to COVID-19 lockdown. “And it’s been marvellous. To get out and be able to travel, not only for the show, but in general is great,” says host Freddie Flintoff, who’s used to travelling as a former international cricketer. Along with car journalist Chris Harris and actor-comedian Paddy McGuinness, they’re taking viewers on a speedy ride Thursday nights at 20:00 on BBC Brit (*120) and this season is big – there’s everything from Formula One racetracks, to driving the worst cars imaginable around a foreign country. Nothing’s off limits as the guys bicker, laugh and drive through the five-episode season.

FLOOR IT!

What are you doing for season 31 since we’re still weighed down by COVID?

Freddie: There’s a fair bit of everything. There’s even a little bit of overseas travel, although I didn’t go. Chris and Paddy go to Iceland. I take my race license and have my first race. There are the supercars… plenty of fun with electric cars and caravans.

I think we’ve been challenged a little bit on this season because of the lack of travel abroad in the last two years. You (shows) have to be a bit more creative, what we could do in our own countries. So we pushed the boundaries a little bit more and it’s been fun to be honest. That’s not to say that we’re not ready to go abroad. We’ve been restricted, but we’ve been lucky that we’ve had the chance to do what we’ve done.

What are you driving currently as your personal car?