Go hatch a plan to buy the new Opel Astra

THERE was much gnashing of teeth and angry outbursts from the public when Jeremy Clarkson, James May, and Richard Hammond had their involvement in Top Gear brought to a sudden and premature end over that “fracas”.

But I had a degree of sympathy for Opel when the curtain came down on the show, albeit temporarily until Chris Evans puts down his toothbrush and puts on his driving gloves.

Its Astra had barely been driven in the ‘Star in a Reasonably Priced Car’ section before it found itself with not even a Z-list celebrity to pilot it round Gambon (a corner named after actor Michael Gambon).