Quentin Willson, the British TV host known for Top Gear and Britain’s Worst Driver, has died. He was 68.
In a statement from his family shared with multiple outlets, they announced that he died “peacefully surrounded by his family” during a brief illness with lung cancer, calling him a “true national treasure.”
“Quentin brought the joy of motoring, from combustion to electric, into our living rooms,” the family said, adding: “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.”
Jeremy Clarkson and James May, Willson’s former co-presenters during his time on the original Top Gear from 1991 to 2001, paid tribute to their late friend and colleague as they reacted to news of his death.
Clarkson, who helped develop the Top Gear revival in 2002, wrote Clarkson on X, “I’m far away so I’ve only just heard that Quentin Willson has died. We had some laughs over the years. Properly funny man.”
“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,” May posted on X.
Born July 23, 1957 in Leicester, England, Willson was a motoring journalist and former car dealer who joined Clarkson to co-host BBC’s Top Gear in 1991. He went on to host his own classic car series The Car’s the Star on BBC, as well as property show All the Right Moves.
Following Top Gear‘s original cancellation, Willson joined Channel Five’s rival show Fifth Gear as a presenter until 2005, going on to create Britain’s Worst Driver for the network. In 2015, he hosted Channel Five’s The Classic Car Show.
Willson was also an outspoken advocate for consumer parity, and he campaigned for lower government fuel duty as a national spokesman for FairFuelUK. He resigned from the lobby group in 2021.
He is survived by wife Michaela and their three children.
