BBC to bring back Top Gear amid speculation about show’s next presenters

But will the Stig come back too? The BBC has refused to comment yet on who will host the show upon its return. Photograph: Ben A Pruchnie/Getty

Top Gear, the long-running motoring show that has been off air since its co-host Andrew “Freddie” Flintoff was seriously injured in a crash during filming almost four years ago, is to return to the BBC, the broadcaster has confirmed.

After Flintoff’s accident at Dunsfold aerodrome in Surrey, the BBC said the series would be “rested” for the foreseeable future.