Tributes pour in for Top Gear presenter Quentin Willson, who died aged 68 after cancer battle

Tributes have poured in from across the motoring world after Top Gear legend Quentin Willson died aged 68 following a short battle with lung cancer.

The television presenter and motoring journalist, who helped define car television for a generation, passed away “peacefully surrounded by his family” on Saturday, his loved ones confirmed.

Jeremy Clarkson, who co-hosted Top Gear alongside Willson in the 1990s, was among the first to pay tribute. “I’m far away so I’ve only just heard that Quentin Willson has died,” Clarkson wrote on X. “We had some laughs over the years. Properly funny man.”

Fellow presenters James May and Tiff Needell, who also worked with Willson on Top Gear, shared their own memories of their late colleague.

“Oh Quentin, how can you leave us so soon,” Needell wrote. “So many memories of the Top Gear we built in the nineties that I wanted to remember with you again. Please upload the film of me with him and Jeremy in the Ford Puma that so wonderfully displays the times we had together… RIP Q.”

James May, who joined the programme later in its run, said Willson had offered him “proper advice and encouragement” when he was trying to break into television. “He was a great bloke,” May added.

Willson was one of the earliest presenters on Top Gear, appearing on the BBC series from 1991 until 2001. Known for his sharp wit and encyclopaedic knowledge of cars, he helped shape the show’s style long before it became the global phenomenon led by Clarkson, May and Richard Hammond. After leaving the BBC, Willson went on to present Fifth Gear on Channel 5, as well as creating and fronting Britain’s Worst Drivers and The Car’s The Star.

In a statement, his family described him as “a true national treasure” who “brought the joy of motoring, from combustion to electric, into our living rooms.”

“Much-loved husband to Michaela, devoted father to Mercedes, Max and Mini, and cherished grandfather to Saskia, Xander and Roxana. Quentin will be deeply missed by his family, friends, and all who knew him personally and professionally,” the statement read.

“The void he has left can never be filled. His knowledge was not just learned but lived; a library of experience now beyond our reach.”

Beyond his work on television, Willson was a passionate campaigner for drivers’ rights and cleaner transport. He became a leading voice behind the FairFuel campaign, which successfully lobbied the government to freeze fuel duty, and later launched FairCharge, which sought to make electric vehicles more affordable for ordinary motorists.

“Long before it was fashionable, he championed the GM EV1 and the promise of electric cars, proving he was always ahead of the curve,” his family said.

Willson was also a prolific writer, contributing weekly columns to The Mirror and Sunday Mirror for 15 years and writing for Classic Cars Magazine for nearly a decade. His work earned him the title of Motoring Writer of the Year at the British Press Awards in 2004.

That same year, Willson made an appearance on Strictly Come Dancing, where his cha-cha-cha with professional partner Hazel Newberry earned the lowest score in the show’s history, a light-hearted moment that he took in stride with his trademark humour.

Throughout his career, Willson combined his love of cars with a strong sense of public service, often using his platform to advocate for fairness and innovation in the industry. His death marks the end of an era for British motoring journalism, but his influence on television, in print, and among car enthusiasts remains unmistakable.