It has just been announced that Chris Evans is leaving Top Gear after only one season. The presenter announced his decision on his Twitter page and since then, the BBC has given a statement giving more details about this not completely unexpected turn of events – just hours ago it was revealed that the latest episode of Top Gear was the first one ever to reach less than 2 million viewers.
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
The statement given by Mark Linsey reads that Chris firmly believes that the right people remain on both the production team and the presentation team to take the show forward. He also mentions that the new series has notched up 30 million views in the UK alone so far and has already been sold to 130 territories worldwide.
Chris himself adds that he has never worked with a more committed and driven team and that he’s doing the best thing he can to help the cause. He states he’ll remain a huge fan of the show, as he has always been. The full statement from the BBC can be read here.
Evans will now be focusing on his work with Radio 2, CarFest, Children in Need, 500 Words “and whatever else we can dream up in the future”.
It’s still uncertain whether co-host Matt LeBlanc will be returning to Top Gear next season.
What do you think of Chris Evans’ decision to step down? Let us know over on Twitter at @CelebMix!