Jeremy said: "Richard has no idea what happened to him so he’ll be as keen as everyone else to see it."

The new series will feature 35 daredevil stunts including the launch of a home-made space shuttle.

A BBC spokesman said a final decision on the footage is yet to be made.

Hammond speeds back after crash - Dec 28 2006
Top Gear star Richard Hammond has ridden a high-speed motorbike for the first time since the 288mph jetcar crash which almost cost him his life.

The presenter, nicknamed the Hamster, roared around London on a Honda Fireblade just days after doctors gave him the all-clear to ride again.

"I just can’t believe how good that was," he told Motor Cycle News after completing his ride.

Richard suffered a brain injury when he crashed while filming for BBC Two’s Top Gear at Elvington airfield, near York, in September this year.

He told Motor Cycle News after his ride: "It felt like a fantastic connection straight back to a time when I hadn’t suffered a brain injury and life was a lot simpler.

"That’s why I ride a bike. I can come out of a TV studio or the big meeting doing grown-up stuff but the moment I get on a bike I’m exactly the same person I was 15 or 20 years ago.

"I just can’t believe how good that was. Even though I haven’t been on a bike since before my accident, it’s a bit of a grim wet day and I feel really out of practice, it just makes perfect sense."

BBC angry over Hammond interviews? - Oct 27 2006
The BBC is reportedly angry over Richard Hammond’s decision to give interviews about his high speed car crash to the Daily Mirror.

The corporation’s news outlets asked for an interview with the Top Gear presenter, who has a reported £2 million deal with them, but were turned down, according to The Times.

The 36-year-old, a Mirror columnist, then offered the exclusive interview to the paper, just five weeks after the event.

Peter Horrocks, the head of BBC Television News, said: "It’s frustrating to see the Mirror feature."

Denise Wallace, assistant news editor on Look North, added: "I think it’s extraordinary that someone who made his name on a BBC programme is not prepared to talk to us."

Richard told the Mirror he is looking forward to getting back behind the wheel.

"I don’t think it will affect me next time I get inside a car," he commented. "I am not living in fear and trepidation, I’m not worried there are going to be horrible flashbacks."

Top Gear is expected back on air next year when Richard is back to full strength.

Richard Hammond opens up about crash - Oct 23 2006
TV presenter Richard Hammond has told of his terrifying ordeal in the aftermath of his 300mph jet car crash that nearly killed him.

The Top Gear presenter spoke about how the crash caused a brain injury which saw him regress to a childlike state and left him in excruciating pain.

The 36-year-old crashed his Vampire car at 288mph at Elvington airfield, York, while filming for the show on September 20.

But in an interview in the Daily Mirror, he revealed that just 33 days later he is ready to go home and on course to make a 100% recovery - without having undergone surgery.

He said: "At first they said I’d be in hospital for 15 months. Yet here I am ready to go back home after five weeks. I’m so b***** lucky. I can’t believe it."

Seeing his family in hospital after the crash also caused him great anguish, while also being a source of great comfort.