Hammond is 'raring to go'

Jeremy Clarkson has said that his Top Gear co-presenter Richard Hammond is getting back on track and itching to be back on the show.

Speaking to the BBC, Clarkson said that Hammond is "completely fixed" following his 300mph crash during filming for the show which left him in intensive care last month.

"He's completely fixed after his minor crash... the only thing that's really breaking his heart is he has chipped one of his whitened teeth," he said.

But he added that Hammond, known affectionately by his fellow presenters as the Hamster, is still in need of rest before he will be able to do so.

"He's got to rest because although there's nothing actually wrong with him, it's better he just has some time off," Clarkson said.

"We're getting texts from him every five minutes: 'I can't believe I'm not there, I really want to come'."

A BBC spokesperson confirmed that although Hammond had signed a two-year contract for the show before the crash, a date for his return to the show will not be confirmed until Hammond is given the go-ahead.

Speaking about his crash for the first time to the Daily Mirror at the weekend, Hammond admitted that as medics rushed to his aid he "was that close to being dead".