Less than 24 hours after the final episode of the current series of Top Gear, Chris Evans has announced he is leaving the show. The news comes after it was revealed that the final episode attracted just 1.9 million viewers, lower than any episode during the Clarkson era of the popular BBC programme.
In tweet, Evans said:
Stepping down from Top Gear. Gave it my best shot but sometimes that’s not enough. The team are beyond brilliant, I wish them all the best.
— Chris Evans (@achrisevans) July 4, 2016
It means that Chris Evans has resigned after just six episodes, leaving Top Gear without its main host. That said, over recent weeks, it has become clear that Matt LeBlanc, Chris Harris and Rory Reid are more than capable of stepping into the shoes of Messrs Clarkson, Hammond and May.
A statement from Mark Linsey, BBC Studios director, said: “Chris is stepping down from his duties on Top Gear. He says he gave it his best shot doing everything he could to make the show a success. He firmly believes that the right people remain, on both the production team and presenting team to take the show forward and make it the hit we want it to be.
“The new series has so far notched up over 30m views in the UK alone and has already been sold to 130 territories worldwide.”
In an official statement, Chris Evans said: “I have never worked with a more committed and driven team than the team I have worked with over the last twelve months. I feel like my standing aside is the best thing I can now do to help the cause.
“I remain a huge fan of the show, always have been, always will be. I will continue to focus on my radio show and the allied events that it encompasses.”
These ‘allied events’ include CarFest and Children in Need. In a second tweet, Chris Evans posted:
Full steam ahead then with Radio 2, CarFest, Children In Need, 500 Words and whatever else we can dream up in the future.
— Chris Evans (@achrisevans) July 4, 2016
Within minutes of Evans posting the tweet, Chris Evans became the top trending topic on Twitter. Meanwhile, you can expect to see former Top Gear presents rolled out for their opinions on the news. Tiff Needell, former racing driver turned TV personality, tweeted:
And all of a sudden the phone is hot with news reporters again … off to studio for BBC News 24 at 5pm!
— Tiff Needell (@tiff_tv) July 4, 2016
There’s already speculation surrounding who will replace Chris Evans on Top Gear, although the resignation of Nigel Farage is not said to be linked to now the vacant position.
