Who is former Top Gear presenter Jason Dawe and why did BBC replace him with James May?

TOP Gear saw a alteration successful presenters pursuing long-time big Jeremy Clarkson's exit successful 2015.

While galore hosts person stuck astir for respective years Jason Dawe, who fronted the 2002 reboot of the motoring show, lone presented a azygous bid earlier parting ways with the fashionable franchise.

The car enthusiast

Jason Dawe is simply a writer and television presenter.

He was calved connected May 4, 1967, successful Cornwall.

Dawe was ever a person of cars.

Before helium adjacent embarked connected a vocation successful the media, Jason worked astatine car dealerships and arsenic a motoring manufacture trainer.

He became a acquainted look connected TV erstwhile helium started presenting the 2002 bid of Top Gear, erstwhile the amusement was rebooted connected BBC Two pursuing its 2001 cancellation.

The BBC ended the amusement aft viewing figures began to diminution but revived it conscionable a twelvemonth later.

The Cornish car enthusiast has been a regular Sunday Times columnist for the motorist section, and has besides written for publications specified arsenic Top Gear Magazine, Used Car Buyer, Autotrader and AA Magazine.

He has worked arsenic a motivational talker and has teamed up with brands similar Dell, Ford, Toyota, Harley Davidson and Herman Miller.

Family life

In 2003, Dawe tied the knot with Ruth Davis, a erstwhile Wiltshire Times newsman from Trowbridge.

According to the Wiltshire Gazette and Herald, Dawe arrived for their wedding successful style.

The erstwhile Top Gear presenter pulled up to the edifice successful a metallic Jaguar XJ8 4.2 Sport worthy £50,000, which had lone conscionable been released connected the market.

The mates stock a lad and 2 daughters.

Leaving Top Gear

Top Gear, which primitively aired from 1977 to 2001, was rebooted successful 2002.

The show's revival was hosted by Jason Dawe, Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond.

Clarkson and Hammond would spell connected to enactment unneurotic connected the bid for galore years, but Dawe lone joined them for the 1 year.

Fans of the amusement were near wondering wherefore Dawe left.

Top Gear shaper Andy Wilman has said that Dawe's exit from the amusement was due to the fact that it conscionable "wasn't moving out" with him.

Dawe was replaced by James May, who would spell connected to contiguous Top Gear with Hammond and Clarkson until 2015.

Wilman, penning successful Top Gear magazine, said of replacing Dawe: "We had different sojourn from the BBC meddling department, who told america that marketplace probe showed our amusement was attracting young, lifestyle, trendy viewers to BBC Two, truthful possibly we should deliberation astir getting a young, lifestyle, trendy presenter."

Per Lad Bible, helium added: "Ever keen to assist, we searched precocious and debased and yet came up with conscionable the man: James May."

He besides said BBC bosses weren't definite astir Hammond aft his archetypal series, admitting they "had a wobble astir Richard".

Clarkson, Hammond and May hosted the amusement arsenic a trio from 2003 until 2015, erstwhile Hammon and May discontinue pursuing Clarkson's axing.

A fig of celebrated faces person presented the amusement since then, including Chris Evans, Matt LeBlanc, Freddie Flintoff and Paddy McGuinness.

In November 2023 the BBC announced that Top Gear would not beryllium returning to TV "for the foreseeable future" aft Flintoff was progressive successful a crash portion filming the amusement successful 2022.

In a statement, the broadcaster said it had "decided to remainder the UK show".

Life aft Top Gear

Following his exit from Top Gear, Dawe made his instrumentality to TV screens successful 2005.

He appeared connected ITV's Used Car Roadshow with Penny Mallory and hosted the amusement until it was cancelled successful 2007.

Dawe went connected to enactment on BBC Watchdog and The Morning Show.

As good arsenic appearing connected TV, Dawe has besides made respective radio appearances arsenic a car adept implicit the years.

Some of his credits see the Radio Two Chris Evans show, Radio Two Drive Time, BBC Radio Scotland, and The Tim Shaw Show connected Kerrang Radio.

From 2009 to 2010, helium presented Classic Gear; a amusement astir classical cars alongside Mallory and Alice Crocker.

In 2020, Dawe went connected to contiguous the Body Shop Awards.

Where is Jason Dawe now?

As of February 2024, Dawe describes himself arsenic a motoring writer and TV presenter connected social media.

Some of the enactment helium has posted astir includes presenting for The Marine Channel astatine the Palma Boat Show successful Mallorca, Spain.

He regularly shares centrifugal news and reviews connected X, formerly known arsenic Twitter, and besides has his ain website wherever his car reviews are archived.

Dawe appears to beryllium bully friends with First Dates maître'd and I'm a Celebrity 2023 contestant Fred Sirieix, whose posts helium regularly interacts with connected X.