Quest Orders New Season of Fifth Gear

The factual-entertainment channel Quest has commissioned a new season of the car show Fifth Gear from Discovery.

The show will see the return of hosts Jason Plato, Vicki Butler-Henderson, Jonny Smith and Jimmy DeVille as they test and compare a range of cars. After 17 years on Fifth Gear, long-running presenter Tiff Needell will not reappear in the series.

Produced by North One, the brand-new 10×60-minute season features more team tests, fast track drives, road trips and practical tests. Plato and former F1 driver Karun Chandhok will be going full throttle in the dogfights and shoot-outs, Smith will be covering stories from the motoring world, Butler-Henderson will be testing some modern classics and engineer DeVille will be delving into the history and design of some iconic cars.

Simon Downing, head of the channels Quest and Eurosport at Discovery, said: “We are looking forward to taking Quest’s automotive fans on another journey with the experts at Fifth Gear, as they take on new motoring challenges. This series sees the return of well-known and self-confessed petrol heads Jason, Vicki, Jimmy, Jonny and guest presenter Karun, and promises to be the most high-octane yet.”

He continued, “The Quest family also want to thank Tiff for his invaluable contribution to the show. His motoring expertise and passion for cars has entertained viewers for many years and we wish him every success with future endeavors.”

North One’s CEO, Neil Duncanson, added: “Over the years we’ve seen so many car shows come and go, but Fifth Gear has consistently stood the test of time. The reason for that is simple, it’s a real car show, presented by real drivers and real car experts. Car fans are becoming more and more discerning and this show delivers what they want—a car show packed full of information and take-out that is entertaining, rather than an entertainment show that happens to have a few cars in it.”