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Andrew Flintoff drives modified hearse in first footage from new Top Gear

Andrew "Freddie" Flintoff and Paddy McGuinness hurtle around a rainy Welsh race track in a souped-up hearse in the first footage from the new series of Top Gear.

The pair join Chris Harris as presenters for the 27th series of the BBC motoring programme, which will air this summer.

In the clip McGuinness tries to convince the group the perfect second hand family car is in fact a hearse.

<em>Flintoff and McGuinness complete the new Top Gear line-up (Top Gear/BBC/PA)</em>
Flintoff and McGuinness complete the new Top Gear line-up (Top Gear/BBC/PA)

To test out his theory they buy a 1995 Daimler hearse for £1,300, dubbed the Undertaker, and carry out modifications including installing a ball pit.

The clip shows Flintoff putting it to the test on a Welsh rally track as McGuinness cries out from the back seat: "Go easy on the car, it's a prototype."

The dramatic strains of Verdi's classical piece Dies Irae ring out as the hearse tips and rolls onto its side and multi-coloured balls tumble about.

<em>The series will begin in summer (Top Gear/BBC/PA)</em>
The series will begin in summer (Top Gear/BBC/PA)

The 26th series of the programme, which finished on Sunday, was the last with Matt LeBlanc at the wheel.

【ギャラリー】Top Gear presenters through the years22

The former Friends star joined the BBC Two motoring programme in 2016 but announced last year that he was stepping down because of the demands of the role.