The Bishop of Lewes proved he was a right revved-up Reverend by crashing a sports car he was racing on national television.

But the Right Rev Wallace Benn joked he was "unrepentant" after losing control on a test circuit.

The Bishop was competing with representatives of other faiths for BBC Two's Top Gear programme.

He was up against a rabbi, a Buddhist, a Hare Krishna, a Roman Catholic and another member of the Anglican clergy on a disused airfield near Billingshurst.

In the programme broadcast on Sunday, each was shown trying to guide a souped-up Subaru around the circuit in the fastest possible time.

To the amusement of host Jeremy Clarkson, the Bishop was the only contestant to crash into a barrier but he still managed to come in third.

The Bishop, 55, said: "It was great fun. I was too busy to look at the speed I was going but I think down the back straight I was probably reaching 120mph.

"But it didn't have assisted brakes. If you put you foot on the brake nothing would happen unless you stamped really hard.

"When I crashed, there was not much damage to the car - just a bit to my pride to keep me humble.

"Jeremy Clarkson told me he came off the track on the same bend.

"I came third but they said I would have threatened for first place if I hadn't come off the track."

The competition was won by the other Church of England representative, an experienced racer.

The Bishop said: "I have always been mad keen on cars and am interested in motor sport but have never really raced before.

"The only racing I have done was a Christmas present of ten laps of Brands Hatch about seven years ago."

He said he was urged to enter the Top Gear contest by his family after seeing it advertised on a previous show.

Back on the roads of Sussex, the Bishop insisted he would be trying to keep to the speed limits again.

He said: "I am a member of the Institute of Advanced Motorists so take roadcraft carefully. But I still like fast cars."