James Blunt was special guest on the highest-rating Top Gear episode ever
Last night's closing episode with the current line-up failed to meet expectations
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Your support makes all the difference.Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May might have failed to break records with their last Top Gear episode last night, but one much-maligned singer has triumphed in the ratings stakes.
The most-watched episode of the hit motoring series aired on 2 December 2007, featured racing driver Lewis Hamilton as a special guest, along with none other than James Blunt of "You're Beautiful" and epic Twitter comeback fame.
Blunt's episode attracted a massive 8.35 million viewers - a record for the show that still stands. Reports had predicted Sunday's closing show to surpass past figures but it drew an estimated 5.8 million overnight to be named the least-watched episode of this year. This figure is, however, expected to rise once ratings are consolidated.
Some Top Gear fans are now suggesting that Blunt should be made new host alongside confirmed Clarkson replacement Chris Evans.
In second place in the highest-rating Top Gear episodes list was the first episode after Richard Hammond's dragster crash, which drew 8.13 million on 28 Janury 2007.
Chris Moyles, Billie Piper and Jamelia were the special guests on the third biggest show, when 8.12 million tuned in on 4 March 2007, while Michael Schumacher's appearance disguised as The Stig on 21 June 2009 attracted 7.86 million.
Other most popular episodes featured Simon Cowell, Michael Parkinson, Brian Johnson, Kristin Scott Thomas, Will Young and Sir Tom Jones.
Clarkson wrote in his Sun column that the BBC had "cobbled together" the final Top Gear episode with the trio and failed to promote it ahead of broadcast, before apologising to fans for "how this has ended".
The presenter was sacked following a "fracas" with a producer in March. Hammond and May decided against renewing their contracts in the wake of the scandal and it is expected that the team will reunite for a car show on a rival channel.
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