Chris Evans ‘thrilled’ to land ‘Top Gear’ lead presenting role

TV presenter Chris Evans will replace Jeremy Clarkson as the lead presenter of Top Gear, the BBC has said.

Evans said he was “thrilled” and said the show was his “favourite programme of all time”.

Clarkson was dropped from the show in March after punching a producer while on location.

Car enthusiast Evans, who has signed a three-year deal with the BBC2 show, had been tipped to replace Clarkson but had previously insisted he was not interested.

The BBC’s David Sillito said Clarkson’s co-hosts, Richard Hammond and James May, would not be involved.

Top Gear is watched by some 350m viewers worldwide and is one of the BBC’s biggest shows, with overseas sales worth an estimated £50m (€69m) a year.

“I promise I will do everything I possibly can to respect what has gone on before and take the show forward,” said Evans.

Once the news broke, Evans tweeted: “First tweet as new Top Gear host. I would like to say Jeremy, Richard & James are the greatest. And NO I’m not leaving the R2 Breakfast Show.”

In a statement, he said: “I’m thrilled, Top Gear is my favourite programme of all time.

“Created by a host of brilliant minds who love cars and understand how to make the massively complicated come across as fun, devil-may-care and effortless.

“When in fact of course, it’s anything but and that’s the genius of Top Gear’s global success.”

Production on the new series will start in the next few weeks. Clarkson’s final appearance on the car show will be shown on 28 June. The episode will be made up of two films shot before he was suspended.