The BBC will not seek to replace Chris Evans’ role on Top Gear, leaving Matt LeBlanc as the show’s sole studio host, according to reports.
Variety claims that LeBlanc will return for Top Gear’s 24th series, which is due to begin shooting in September, but no replacement for Evans is expected to be hired according to an inside source.
Co-hosts Chris Harris, Rory Reid, Sabine Schmitz and Eddie Jordan are expected to return for the show’s recorded segments but it's expected to be just LeBlanc in front of the studio audience.
Evans officially announced his departure from the BBC 2 series on Monday amid plummeting ratings, the worst viewership figures in more than a decade and reports of controversy both on and off set.
“Stepping down from Top Gear,” the Radio 2 presenter Tweeted. “Gave it my best shot but sometimes that’s not enough. The team are beyond brilliant, I wish them all the best.”
"The right people remain"
There had also been numerous reports of tensions between Evans and LeBlanc, with reports back in June alleging that LeBlanc was planning on quitting Top Gear unless Evans was fired first.
LeBlanc was announced as co-host in February after signing a one-series contract with the option of returning for a second series, and he had previously appeared as a guest on the show in 2012.
In response to Variety’s report, a representative for the ex-Friends actor simply referred to a statement made by BBC Studios director Mark Linsey saying that “the right people remain”.
The last series of Top Gear, which ended last Sunday, was widely regarded as the worst in years by critics and fans, although the vast majority of viewers’ negative sentiment was directed at Evans.
In one review of the series’ finale, Digital Spy wrote: “When the right people — Matt LeBlanc, Rory Reid, Chris Harris and Sabine Schmitz — are front and centre, there are moments where ‘Top Gear’ feels like it has found its feet.”
