Quentin Willson (23 July 1957 – 8 November 2025) was an English television presenter and producer, motoring journalist, author and car dealer. He was best known as a presenter of the popular television motoring programmes Top Gear, Britain's Worst Driver and Fifth Gear.

Early life
Quentin Willson, a twin,[1] was born on 23 July 1957 in Leicester, England, the son of Professor Bernard Willson,[2] who was the first code breaker at Bletchley Park to decode the Italian Navy Hagelin C-36 code machine.[3]

Television
Willson joined the BBC in 1991 to co-host the original version of Top Gear with Jeremy Clarkson.[4] Until the original format's cancellation in 2001, he appeared every week on the programme, typically as an expert on used cars.[citation needed]

Willson later presented his own classic car series The Car's the Star, along with the property show All The Right Moves, both for the BBC.[citation needed]

Following Top Gear's cancellation, he left the BBC to present Channel 5's rival motoring programme, Fifth Gear. When Top Gear was relaunched, Willson said of Clarkson that "It's a compliment that the BBC are so afraid of losing ratings to us, they've lured my old co-host out of semi-retirement."[5] Willson stopped presenting Fifth Gear in 2005.[citation needed]

Willson also participated in the second series of Strictly Come Dancing in 2004, but received the lowest score ever on the show, which still stands to this day, on his single dance before being voted off.[6]

On 12 January 2009, and again on 4 December 2010, he appeared on BBC Breakfast giving advice on snow driving and which cars are better suited. On 5 April 2012, he once again appeared on BBC Breakfast talking about the Highway Code.[7] He also regularly featured on the ITV breakfast show Daybreak, when there were motoring related features.[citation needed]

In 2015, Willson returned to Channel 5 to host The Classic Car Show.[8]