Fifth Gear Is Back To Take On The Ailing Car Show Giants

The plucky underdog of British car shows is back after a two-year absence. Fifth Gear, which was originally spun out of the ashes of Old Top Gear in 2002 after the BBC show was cancelled, is filming new content.

The news was announced by long-time host Tiff Needell in a tweet that puts the show’s hiatus at three years (by the time it airs, the gap will have been two years, four months). After being broadcast for what appeared to be the final time in May 2016, with the former Top Gear presenter citing money as the main reason why production was halted, a new series is pencilled in for September.

With the show led by Tiff, possible returns could be on the cards for facial hair experimenter Jonny Smith, who recently tweeted about an upswing in the amount of TV work he was being offered, and Vicki Butler-Henderson, who now makes up a third of Auto Trader’s all-female REV car reviews team.

It could even recruit fresh faces from the depths of YouTube, now that advertising revenue on the site has apparently fallen through the floor for many small channels. We’re sure you guys can make a few suggestions on that front.

We have to take our hats off to the producers. When you’re competing against the likes of Top Gear and The Grand Tour, with their deep pockets and epic production values, it takes guts to offer a (relatively) low-budget alternative.

Perhaps the fluctuating presenter line-up and weaker studio segments at Top Gear, plus rumours that The Grand Tour isn’t long for this world (whether for financial reasons or just the presenters’ ages and/or desire to carry on), mean that Fifth Gear’s bosses see some chinks in the armour that seemed so impenetrable a couple of years ago. Time will tell what they deliver!