Top Gear’s Paddy McGuinness wanted ‘a little cry’ after ‘drifting’ in Thailand

Paddy McGuinness said he needed to “lie down and have a little cry” after he was taken “drifting” in Thailand in the new series of Top Gear.

The much-anticipated new season, which starts on Sunday evening, will see a “pick-up pilgrimage” across the Southeast Asian country involving McGuinness and co-presenters Freddie Flintoff and Chris Harris.

Drifting is a technique where the driver intentionally oversteers, with loss of traction, while maintaining control and manoeuvring the car through a corner.

The first episode of the BBC series will see McGuinness with visible sweat patches after he was spun across a car park, prompting the female driver to ask if he was OK.

He said: “No (seat) belt, lots of exposed metal – kids, do not try this at home… I’m just going to find a little spot to lie down and have a little cry. Wowzers.”

It will also see Harris back in Britain testing out the Rimac Nevera, an electric two-seater that could be the fastest car on the planet, the BBC said.

Later in the series the presenters take a trip to Paris to test out the latest in affordable microcars.

Flintoff said: “To everyone’s amazement, I could actually fit in it! I felt a bit enclosed and a bit claustrophobic but I did fit in, although I don’t think you would have got anyone in the seat behind me.

“The car I was in was like a transformer – you pressed a button and the wheels went in and out.

“My car still had a few teething problems as we were driving round but getting the chance to go around the city like we did was brilliant.

“Paris was somewhere I hadn’t had the chance to spend a lot of time visiting before so it was great. However, in all honesty I think I’d rather pedal on a bike, or even walk next time!”

McGuinness said the new series has “something for everyone” as well as offering “a lot of entertainment”.

Top Gear has seen a resurgence since Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May left the show in 2015.

Various presenters have come and gone with mixed receptions, before the current team settled into their roles, growing excellent on-screen chemistry.

– The 33rd series of Top Gear returns to BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Sunday at 8pm.