Chris Goffey was a presenter on the Original format of Top Gear from Series 5 in 1981 through to Series 37 in 1997. He would appear in over 179 episodes and would test drive a variety of vehicles ranging from classics, to lower end cars, to sports coupés such as the Vauxhall Calibra and Toyota MR2.
He would not often drive high-performance vehicles, if at all. Starting from 1993, he would be aided in this role by Michele Newman, before Newman took over his role entirely upon his departure. Newman would then depart a year later.
At the time of his departure in 1997, he was the longest serving host of the show both in terms of longevity and number of episodes, with 16 years of experience under his belt. As of 2019 he remains the 6th most frequently appearing host.
| Full list of appearances | |
|---|---|
| 1977 format | |
| Series 5 | 4 episodes (8 total) |
| Series 7 | 4 episodes (8 total) |
| Series 8 | 3 episodes (7 total) |
| Series 9 | 5 episodes (9 total) |
| Series 10 | 1 episode (8 total) |
| Series 12 | 6 episodes (7 total) |
| Series 13 | 2 episodes (9 total) |
| Series 14 | 4 episodes (8 total) |
| Series 15 | 9 episodes (10 total) |
| Series 16 | 8 episodes (9 total) |
| Series 17 | 8 episodes |
| Series 18 | 10 episodes (12 total) |
| Series 19 | 8 episodes |
| Series 20 | 8 episodes (9 total) |
| Series 21 | 8 episodes |
| Series 22 | 8 episodes (11 total) |
| Series 23 | 6 episodes (8 total) |
| Series 24 | 6 episodes (10 total) |
| Series 25 | 7 episodes (10 total) |
| Series 26 | 6 episodes (14 total) |
| Series 27 | 4 episodes (11 total) |
| Series 28 | 8 episodes (13 total) |
| Series 29 | 10 episodes (17 total) |
| Series 30 | 4 episodes (16 total) |
| Series 31 | 6 episodes (11 total) |
| Series 32 | 4 episodes (13 total) |
| Series 33 | 9 episodes (13 total) |
| Series 34 | 5 episodes (14 total) |
| Series 35 | 4 episodes (14 total) |
| Series 36 | 2 episodes (14 total) |
| Series 37 | 2 episodes (20 total) |
Italicised rows indicate a series where this cast member was a guest or recurring host and not part of the main presenting team. Bold rows indicate a series where they were the main host.
Though never appearing on the relaunched version of Top Gear which premiered in October 2002, he was idolised by Jeremy Clarkson, who wanted him to appear as a Star in a Reasonably-Priced Car, and was one of the many people who defended Clarkson upon his dismissal in 2015.
After leaving Top Gear, he would go on to present Motor Week with future Top Gear host Richard Hammond, who would star in the same number of episodes as Goffey; 179.
His son is Supergrass drummer and backing vocalist Danny Goffey.
| Cast of Top Gear | |
|---|---|
| Present Cast | Chris Harris | Freddie Flintoff | Paddy McGuinness | The Stig |
| Former Cast (2002 format) | Sabine Schmitz | Eddie Jordan | Rory Reid | Matt LeBlanc | Chris Evans | James May | Richard Hammond | Jeremy Clarkson | Ben Collins | Top Gear Stunt Man | Top Gear Dog | Perry McCarthy | Jason Dawe |
| Former Cast (1977 format) | Andy Wilman | Jason Barlow | Tiff Needell | Vicki Butler-Henderson | Adrian Simpson | Quentin Willson | Kate Humble | Steve Berry | Julia Bradbury | Brendan Coogan | Tony Mason | Michele Newman | Jon Bentley | Chris Goffey | Janet Trewin | Nicky Fox | Steve Lee | William Woollard | Sue Baker | Beki Adam | Tom Boswell | Vic Allan | Frank Page | Peter Burgess | Bob Friend | Judith Jackson | Stewart Woodcock | Noel Edmonds | Mike Dornan | Gill Pyrah | Barrie Gill | Angela Rippon | Presenters with less than 5 appearances |