Last night, Top Gear viewers claimed Chris was copying previous presenter Jeremy in the way he hosted the show.
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There were calls for the return of Clarkson and his co-presenters Richard Hammond and James May. The mark of the old Top Gear team was not actually its testosterone but its self-deprecating irony: the cars might be at the height of their powers; their drivers were in the depths of middle age.
The relaunch of BBC Two’s Top Gear was seen by an average of 4. FACT. Still number one on iPlayer. If you think back to Top Gear episodes of old, Jeremy Clarkson would often not reference the audience at all, except on rare occasions where he’d liken a vehicle to a pair of large breasts on one of the ladies in the front row, or welcome Jesus into the studio. FACT. These are THE FACTS folks.
Putting those cars to the test alongside Evans and LeBlanc will be German racer Sabine Schmitz and motoring journalist Rory Reid among others. The UK Telegraph also accused producers of overplaying the United Kingdom versus the United States angle between LeBlanc and Evans, forcing them to drive around in cars brandished in their nations’ respective flags.
However, the show did manage to win its 8pm slot with a 23% share, ahead of the Antiques Roadshow on BBC1 and the Soap Awards on ITV, both of which attracted just under 4 million viewers.
Evans earlier this year highlighted that hiring LeBlanc was a nod to the show’s increased global nature – it’s estimated to be worth some $75 million as a brand to BBC Worldwide, the commercial arm of the United Kingdom public broadcaster – and that his appointment had already been worth it.
Between criticisms that the new show was a “borefest” lacking any chemistry between its hosts, was the rather common complaint that Chris Evans was speaking several decibels too high to be enjoyed or tolerated.
And we can confirm that episode one’s first studio guests will be none other than The Social Network and Batman vs Superman star Jesse Eisenberg, alongside Michelin-starred chef Gordon Ramsay.
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However, he’s now had his say on Twitter, insisting he’s happy with the way the first show turned out. The trio are due to debut a new auto show on Amazon Prime shortly.
