He’s out. Matt LeBlanc’s Top Gear cohost Chris Evans has announced his departure from the popular BBC auto show after five episodes amid rumors of on-set tension.
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Evans announced the news on Twitter, telling fans that he had given the gig “his best shot”, praising the revamped TV show’s team.
According to Chris, his stepping down would be the single best thing he can do now to help the cause so that “Top Gear” can pile up their ratings again. Fans have shown appreciation for the show’s other host Matt LeBlanc; however, Chris was not much favored by anyone.
He also added that he’ll be focusing on his other projects including his BBC Radio 2 breakfast show, writing: ‘Full steam ahead then with Radio 2, CarFest, Children In Need, 500 Words and whatever else we can dream up in the future’.
However, in a statement released today, Chris Evans has said he tried his best with the show, but sometimes your best just is not enough.
Director of BBC Studios Mark Linsey said that Chris Evans “is stepping aside from his duties on Top Gear. The new series has so far notched up over 30 [million] views in the United Kingdom alone and has already been sold to 130 territories worldwide”.
Former show hosts Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May are now making a new motoring-focused show for Amazon.com called “Grand Tour”.
Top Gear, once blackly lauded as the most downloaded show in the world, has seen its audience size in the United Kingdom almost halved since returning in May. Media reports had suggested the pair clashed onset, but the Friends star dismissed the claims as a “big load of bulls**t”.
But since the rebooted series first returned to screens in May, it has been hit with growing criticism, most notably for its falling ratings.
“Top Gear” has increasingly becoming a target of the United Kingdom tabloids, speculating a rift between Evans and Le Blanc.
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The BBC hired Evans and LeBlanc to host Top Gear after Jeremy Clarkson was sacked in 2015 when he punched his producer.
