Quentin Willson, the British television presenter best known for co-hosting the original run of Top Gear, has died at the age of 68. His family confirmed that he passed away peacefully surrounded by loved ones after a brief illness with lung cancer.
In a statement, his family described Willson as a “true national treasure” who “brought the joy of motoring, from combustion to electric, into our living rooms.” They added: “The void he has left can never be filled. His knowledge was not just learned but lived; a library of experience now beyond our reach.”
Former co-presenters Jeremy Clarkson and James May paid tribute. Clarkson wrote on X: “We had some laughs over the years. Properly funny man.” May recalled: “Quentin Willson gave me proper advice and encouragement during my earliest attempts at TV, back in the late 90s. I’ve never forgotten it. Great bloke.”
Born in Leicester in 1957, Willson was a motoring journalist and former car dealer who joined the BBC’s Top Gear in 1991, appearing alongside Clarkson until 2001. He later presented his own classic car series The Car’s the Star, property show All the Right Moves, and after Top Gear’s original cancellation, he presented Channel Five’s Fifth Gear and created Britain’s Worst Driver. In 2015, he hosted The Classic Car Show on the same network.
Willson was also an outspoken advocate for consumer parity, campaigning for lower fuel duty as national spokesman for FairFuelUK, a role he held until his resignation in 2021.
