Evans helmed the show with former Friends star Matt LeBlanc and the first episode saw them driving Reliant three-wheelers from London to Blackpool in a United Kingdom vs U.S. competition, with Evans enjoying significantly more luck.
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“Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” actor Jesse Eisenberg and chef/”MasterChef” host Gordon Ramsay were the the first to take on the new track, with Ramsay clocking a better time than Eisenberg.
One said: ‘@JeremyClarkson it is safe to say that @DannyCohen has now made top gear into flop gear!
Not only that, they’ve also given odds-on chances (1/2) that the show won’t return at all once the current series concludes.
However the new Top Gear team, which includes former Friends star Matt LeBlanc, failed to match the TV ratings achieved by their predecessors Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond.
The opening episode included Evans and co-host Matt LeBlanc racing from London to Blackpool, a dogfight between American muscle cars in Nevada, and a British-built off-road desert buggy chase across a desert.
However, the show started with just a taster of the action before heading to showcase a brand new segment.
According to the BBC, Top Gear was the “biggest show at 8 p.m.”, but some observers noted that the figure was low compared to past seasons premieres of the popular program. It’s a great group of people. Fans were also annoyed at Evans persisting shouting and LeBlanc’s scarce appearance between scenes. “I thought, ‘Yeah, absolutely, I’m in!'”
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Leaked audience data reveals the BBC received 370 complaints about the first episode of the new show, making it the “worst programme on terrestrial television” in its opening weekend.
