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Embattled BBC TV presenter Chris Evans has announced he will step down as Top Gear host after just one season following plummeting ratings and widespread criticism of his on-screen style.
Evans made the announcement overnight through his Twitter account saying: “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.”
In an official statement release by the BBC 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 single best thing I can now do to help the cause. I remain a huge fan of the show, always have been, always will be.”
In the statement the Director of BBC Studios Mark Linsey 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."
Breakfast radio presenter Evans was chosen along with other big names including former Friends star Matt LeBlanc to host the revamped Top Gear after the contracts of the show’s previous hosts Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond weren’t renewed at the end of 2015.
Disappointed viewers took to social media slamming Evans for his ‘shouty’ style
Criticism about the BBC’s choice in Evans began long before filming of the new series started with fans saying there was no way he could fill the shoes of Clarkson. Even with all the hype leading up to the long-awaited return of the show an average of just 4.3 million UK viewers watched the opening episode. Disappointed viewers took to social media slamming Evans for his ‘shouty’ style and calling for the return of the old presenters.
More:
- Read our review of the first episode here
- Top Gear topped by original team assembling a box
- Watch the Jeremy Clarkson box video
Amid rumours of a personality clash and widening rift with co-host LeBlanc, along with plummeting ratings Evans took to Twitter to personally defend the show.
Evan’s announcement of his decision to quit came after last night’s season finale which recorded an average of 1.9 million British viewers - lower ratings than any episode from the Clarkson era.
Whether or not the BBC will replace Evans remains to be seen. With the first season now complete, work on the second has already begun without Evans.
The show’s old presenters will present a new motoring show called The Grand Tour on Amazon Prime due to air towards the end of the year.
The much-loved trio recently came back in the public spotlight when a YouTube video filmed on a phone of Clarkson attempting to assemble a box was watched more than a million times in the space of two days.
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