Start your engines: Freddie Flintoff and Paddy McGuinness rev up for Top Gear

Cricketer Andrew “Freddie” Flintoff and TV star Paddy McGuinness will make their debut as Top Gear hosts tonight when the motoring series returns.

The Ashes-winning sportsman and Take Me Out host McGuinness join Chris Harris to front the 27th series of the BBC Two show.

Former Friends star Matt LeBlanc announced in 2018 he would not be returning as a host.

Flintoff said: “The only pressure I feel is the pressure I put on myself. I can’t affect what the public think. I just have to go and do my job. That’s the attitude I took as a cricketer.”

The sportsman, who is 6ft 4, also revealed that as he gets older – he’s 41 – he prefers comfort in a car over size.

He explained: “I bought a Lamborghini, but I couldn’t fit into it! That’s an ongoing story. I’m a big lad, aren’t I? There are some cars that I can’t fit into, the Lamborghini being one of them.

“I’ve now swapped it for a convertible, so I can look over the top. I’ve got a bad camber on my drive, so I can’t get up the path unless I can see it properly.

“I fit into some cars better than others. As I get older, I prefer bigger, comfier cars rather than squeezing into all sorts, unlike Chris, who can get into pretty much almost anything!”

Harris, who has been a presenter since 2016, revealed: “Fred is not designed for cars. There is a Lotus he drives later in the series, and it was funny watching him getting strapped into that because his feet don’t fit the pedal boxes.”

The motoring journalist, who also has a successful YouTube channel, spoke about the North-South “divide”.

He joked: “There is a danger that with Paddy and Fred it’s going to become a northern show, with me as the southern idiot.

“Even though I’m the incumbent presenter, I do sometimes feel that the North has taken over. It’s a bit like Game Of Thrones!”

During Sunday night’s episode the team head to Ethiopia.

Top Gear airs on BBC Two on Sunday from 8-9pm.