TOP GEAR WORLD PREMIERE THRILLS PACKED LEICESTER SQUARE ODEON

BBC Studios and BBC Two lifted the bonnet on the new series of Top Gear Monday evening with a big screen premiere of the opening episode at the Odeon Leicester Square in front of 800 fans that culminated in a 500ft car bungee jump off a Swiss dam with presenter Freddie Flintoff strapped inside.

Presenters Paddy McGuinness and Chris Harris arrived at the event in Leicester Square driving the new, never before seen on public roads, Aston Martin DBX – and the Bentley Continental GT. They were joined by Top Gear’s mystery racing driver The Stig and show regular, Sabine Schmitz. As well as guests including Tallia Storm , the red carpet also featured a suspended Rover Metro Cabriolet, the 28-year-old bungee jumping car that features in the show’s most audacious stunt ever – and Porsche’s all new and all electric Taycan, that’s put through its paces by Harris in the new series.

The premiere, attended by media from South Africa, New Zealand, Poland and China, was introduced by the BBC’s Director-General Tony Hall who said of the current lineup: “With Paddy, Freddie and Chris at the wheel – no matter what goes wrong, they’ve always got each other’s backs. There’s a warmth to the show that people really respond to. It’s a show that’s never grown up, and I hope it never does!”