Who is former Top Gear presenter Jason Dawe and where is he now?
TOP GEAR has seen many different combinations of presenters throughout the years, and even more so following long-time host Jeremy Clarkson's exit in 2015.
While many hosts have stuck around for several years Jason Dawe, who fronted the 2002 reboot of the motoring show, only presented a single series before parting ways with the popular franchise.
Who is former Top Gear presenter Jason Dawe?
Jason Dawe is a journalist and television presenter.
He was born on May 4, 1967, in Cornwall.
Dawe worked at car dealerships and as a motoring industry trainer before embarking on a career in the media.
[The BBC] told us that market research showed our show was attracting young, lifestyle, trendy viewers to BBC Two, so perhaps we should think about getting a young, lifestyle, trendy presenter
Top Gear Producer Andy Wilman
He presented the 2002 series of Top Gear when the show was rebooted on BBC Two following its 2001 cancellation on BBC One.
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Dawe has been a regular Sunday Times columnist and has also written for publications such as Top Gear Magazine, Used Car Buyer, Autotrader and AA Magazine.
He has worked as a motivational speaker and has teamed up with brands like Dell, Ford, Toyota, Harley Davidson and Herman Miller.
Why did Jason Dawe leave Top Gear?
Top Gear, which originally aired from 1977 to 2001 on BBC One, was rebooted in 2002.
The show's revival was hosted by Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond, who would go on to work together for many years, and Dawe, who only presented that one series.
Top Gear producer Andy Wilman has said that Dawe's exit from the show was because it just "wasn't working out" with him.
Dawe was replaced by James May, who would go on to present Top Gear with Hammond and Clarkson until 2015.
Wilman, writing in Top Gear magazine, said of replacing Dawe: "We had another visit from the BBC meddling department, who told us that market research showed our show was attracting young, lifestyle, trendy viewers to BBC Two, so perhaps we should think about getting a young, lifestyle, trendy presenter."
Per Lad Bible, he added: "Ever keen to assist, we searched high and low and eventually came up with just the man: James May."
He also said BBC bosses weren't sure about Hammond after his first series, admitting they "had a wobble about Richard".
Clarkson, Hammond and May hosted the show as a trio from 2003 until 2015, when Hammon and May quit following Clarkson's axing.
A number of famous faces have presented the show since then, including Chris Evans, Matt LeBlanc, Freddie Flintoff and Paddy McGuinness.
In November 2023 the BBC announced that Top Gear would not be returning to TV "for the foreseeable future" after Flintoff was involved in a crash while filming the show in 2022.
In a statement, the broadcaster said it had "decided to rest the UK show".
What other shows has Jason Dawe appeared on?
Following his exit from Top Gear, Dawe made his return to TV screens in 2005.
He appeared on ITV's Used Car Roadshow with Penny Mallory and hosted the show until it was cancelled in 2007.
Dawe went on to work on BBC Watchdog and The Morning Show.
As well as appearing on TV, Dawe has also made several radio appearances as a car expert over the years.
Some of his credits include the Radio Two Chris Evans show, Radio Two Drive Time, BBC Radio Scotland, and The Tim Shaw Show on Kerrang Radio.
Where is Jason Dawe now?
As of February 2024, Dawe describes himself as a motoring journalist and TV presenter on social media.
Some of the work he has posted about includes presenting for The Marine Channel at the Palma Boat Show in Mallorca, Spain.
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He regularly shares motor news and reviews on X, formerly known as Twitter, and also has his own website where his car reviews are archived.
Dawe appears to be good friends with First Dates maître'd and I'm a Celebrity 2023 contestant Fred Sirieix, whose posts he regularly interacts with on X.