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TOP Gear bosses made a serious bid to find a woman to host the motoring show.

But none of the ones they tried worked out.

In the end, they gave up and signed Freddie Flintoff and Paddy McGuinness.

The BBC decided to shake up their long-running car show after Matt LeBlanc announced he was quitting.

The ex-Friends star – who joined the show in 2016 – said he was spending too much time away from his daughter in the States.

His final series with co-hosts Chris Harris and Rory Reid starts this weekend.

However, BBC chiefs, who were mindful of the fact the show has often been branded too male-biased, went looking for possible female presenters only to draw a blank. Top Gear executive producer Clare Pizey admitted: “We looked at finding a woman presenter. We did look... but you have got to think there’s a spark.”

Instead, Take Me Out

presenter Paddy and ex-cricketer Freddie will co-host the TV show with current presenter Chris.

That series will air later in the year.

Clare added: “They are two British guys who know one another.

“They live close to each other and that is going to be a shorthand in itself.”

Reid will front a new “bitesize” online edition of the show called Extra Gear,

which is expected to run all year around.

The new series – the last one featuring Matt, Chris and Rory together – starts on BBC Two on Sunday at 8pm.