Tom Boswell was a presenter on the original format of Top Gear, first appearing in Series 6 & 7 from 1981 - 1982 with singular cameo appearances before becoming a full-time host from Series 20 in 1988 through to Series 23 in 1990, with a final posthumous appearance in Series 24. He would appear in 22 episodes until his untimely death in 1990 and was the show's primary motorcycling aficionado, reviewing the latest bikes.
At the time of his unfortunate departure in 1990, he was the 9th longest serving host of the show. As of 2019 he remains the 22nd most frequently appearing host.
Boswell died in Reading on the 19th of November, 1990, at the age of 47. His cause of death was never publicly disclosed. As of 2019, Boswell remains the only host to have died whilst serving as a presenter. It would take until 1993 before Top Gear received another motorcycle presenter in the form of Steve Berry.
| 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 |