Sue Baker (12 June 1947 - 14 November 2022) was a presenter on the original format of Top Gear from Series 4 in 1980 through to Series 25 in 1991. She would appear in over 107 episodes, and would perform a variety of duties on the show, such as attending motor shows and driving the latest cars, as well as reporting on special interests.
She would not often drive high-performance vehicles, if at all. From Series 20 in 1988, she would have a greatly reduced schedule, downgrading from a full-time presenter to one who just presented motor shows.
At the time of her departure in 1991, she was the third longest serving host of the show in terms of number of episodes, and was the longest in terms of longevity, having presented the show for 11 years. As of 2019 she remains the 10th most frequently appearing host.
She died on November 14, 2022, after a long battle with MND a neurone disease. She was 75.
| Full list of appearances | |
|---|---|
| 1977 format | |
| Series 4 | 4 episodes (6 total) |
| Series 5 | 4 episodes (8 total) |
| Series 6 | 3 episodes (7 total) |
| Series 7 | 6 episodes (8 total) |
| Series 8 | 4 episodes (7 total) |
| Series 9 | 5 episodes (9 total) |
| Series 10 | 5 episodes (8 total) |
| Series 11 | 7 episodes (9 total) |
| Series 12 | 3 episodes (7 total) |
| Series 13 | 6 episodes (9 total) |
| Series 14 | 6 episodes (8 total) |
| Series 15 | 9 episodes (10 total) |
| Series 16 | 6 episodes (9 total) |
| Series 17 | 8 episodes |
| Series 18 | 12 episodes |
| Series 19 | 7 episodes (8 total) |
| Series 20 | 1 episode (9 total) |
| Series 21 | 1 episode (8 total) |
| Series 22 | 2 episodes (11 total) |
| Series 23 | 1 episode (8 total) |
| Series 24 | 2 episodes (10 total) |
| Series 25 | 2 episodes (10 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.
From the outset, her role was largely supplanted by Jeremy Clarkson, who followed up an enquiry made by her the series prior involving taller-than-average drivers.
| 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 |