Richard Hammond on future of Top Gear and Grand Tour

The former Top Gear star, 56, said he believes there is still a place for motoring shows and would welcome a return of Top Gear, amid rumours comedian Jimmy Carr could be involved in a reboot.

Speaking to the Metro, Mr Hammond reflected on the enduring popularity of the BBC programme, which he fronted alongside Jeremy Clarkson and James May.

He said: “I think there’s room for car shows looking back at what a wonderful machine the car has been and will continue to be.”

Mr Hammond also backed the future of The Grand Tour, which he presented with Clarkson and May after leaving Top Gear.

The trio are set to make a cameo appearance alongside the show’s new presenting team of James Engelsman, Thomas Holland and Francis Bourgeois.

He said: “We had our time with it. That’s great. That was our Grand Tour, but The Grand Tour can go on with other people doing it, and I wish them all the very best with it. Of course, I do.”

Looking beyond The Grand Tour, Mr Hammond said he would even consider returning to another of his former programmes, Total Wipeout, if given the chance, exclaiming he “loved it”.

Reflecting on Top Gear’s legacy, Mr Hammond said: “It’s really satisfying to have been part of a show that had that effect, that becomes that touchpoint for people.

“We never thought for a second that it would. We set out to make a car show all those years ago.

“It just grew into something that nobody foresaw, and I was really privileged to be a little part of that.”

He added that meeting fans who grew up watching the show makes him proud.

“It makes me mostly proud when people refer to it or come up to me and say they’ve watched it since they were a kid,” he said.

“It makes me feel old because often they’re fully fledged adults in their own right. But there we are.”

During the interview, Mr Hammond also spoke about his daughter Izzy Hammond’s crash in a Formula E car earlier this year.

The 25-year-old crashed into a wall at the Jeddah circuit but walked away unharmed.

The incident drew comparisons with Mr Hammond’s own near-fatal 2006 crash while filming Top Gear, when he crashed a jet-powered dragster at almost 300mph.

He admitted he felt “a little uncomfortable” watching from the sidelines.

“I’m a father, like any other father. I don’t want to see my little girl hurt, but I don’t want to hold her back from opportunities that present themselves,” he said.

“She’s carving her own career, so I can sit back and watch her do that and only applaud.”