By now it’s old news that Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May have all departed from their long held roles as presenters of the BBC smash hit show Top Gear after Clarksons “fracas” with a producer lead to the BBC refusing to renew his contract, but who would be replacing them has been the source of much speculation. Well, speculate no more; the BBC have finally revealed the full lineup of presenters for the new series!
TFI Friday and Radio host Chris Evans was revealed as the primary presenter many months ago, and last week Friends actor and car lover announced he would be joining him.
The coveted third presenting spot was still unconfirmed until this morning, when the BBC announced who would be the third member of the new presenting team and, to much surprise, who would be the fourth, fifth and sixth members of the presenting team, which for the new series will consist of six hosts instead of three!
Among the new hosts is Racing Driver Sabine Schmitz, who was long rumoured to take the hosting role after famously appearing in an episode of Top Gear alongside Jeremy Clarkson when she set a record lap time in a transit van around the Nürburgring.
Joining Sabine is Formula 1 pundit Eddie Jordan, and motoring journalist Rory Reid, who was the only successful applicant from the BBCs much talked about Top Gear open auditions, something that Reid is rightfully very proud of!
“To be the only person to make it through the open audition process makes me immensely proud. I’ve been a Top Gear fan for decades, but more than that, I live and breathe cars in a way that is perfectly compatible with the show”
Completing the line up was Chris Harris, who has made a name for himself by using YouTube to present very Top Gear like videos on his own channel, where he reviews and discusses cars in a similar vein to how Clarkson, Hammond and May used to.
The series is expected to air in May of this year, with the old hosts Clarkson, Hammond and May debuting their own motoring show on Amazon Prime later this year.
It still remains to be seen how the new Top Gear will match up to the old and much beloved show, and how well the old hosts will settle in to their new home, but with the announcement of the full six presenter line up today the BBC has shown it is ready to move on despite all the setbacks!
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