Jon Bentley was a presenter and producer for Original format Top Gear, who was brought in alongside Tom Ross and Ken Pollock under threats from the BBC that the show was to be cancelled unless they were able to turn it around and increase the show's draw with a wider variety of viewers.
One of Bentley's key roles early on was to bring in some new, young hosts to replace the stagnant line-up of William Woollard, Sue Baker, Chris Goffey and Frank Page. An avid reader of Performance Car Magazine, Bentley was frequently amused by the columns written by a certain Jeremy Clarkson. In 1986, he invited Clarkson to perform a screen test. The test was a resounding success and Clarkson ended up replacing Sue Baker's role on the show 2 years later.
Were it not for Bentley's role in transitioning Clarkson from a writer to a TV personality, it is unlikely that he would have ever considered working in television. As a means of gratitude, he is the namesake for the for the sixth corner of the Top Gear test track, Bentley.
| Full list of appearances | |
|---|---|
| 1977 format | |
| Series 20 | 1 episode (9 total) |
| Series 34 | 1 episode (14 total) |
| Series 35 | 2 episodes (14 total) |
| Series 36 | 4 episodes (14 total) |
| Series 37 | 7 episodes (20 total) |
| Series 38 | 4 episodes (16 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 only appearing once as a presenter in 1988, he became a full-time host in 1996 and would end up appearing in 19 episodes in total.
Upon his departure from the show in 1997, Jon Bentley concluded the 38th series of Top Gear by running an unsanctioned talent search for researchers, which resulted in the hiring of Richard Porter as director, despite having zero experience behind a camera and only working in a clothes shop prior to his appointment as director.
Though inactive for several years, he would be reunited with several of his Top Gear co-stars in 2002 as he would return to produce, and later present, spiritual successor Fifth Gear for Channel 5.
| 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 |