Matt LeBlanc to host Top Gear

So, the new line-up for the next season of Top Gear has finally been announced and what a line-up it is looking like. The BBC has confirmed the auto magazine show is set to return in May with a total of six hosts to fill the (obviously) very large shoes of the outgoing three. 

We all know, due to previous announcements, that the anchor presenter will be Chris Evans, who will now be joined by Matt LeBlanc of Friends fame. The line-up will also feature Formula 1 heavyweight Eddie Jordan, German race car driver Sabine Schmitz, automotive journalist Chris Harris, and car reviewer Rory Reid.

“The new team will cover the entire automotive spectrum and bring with them their own unique and very individual love of cars that will resonate with every type of Top Gear viewer, from the family who enjoy the entertainment values of the show, to aspirational car lovers and fanatical petrolheads,” the BBC said in a statement.

In a way it has been a very poorly kept secretly. As of late last year there were a myriad of rumours that Harris as well as Schmitz, a.k.a. “Queen of the Nürburgring,” would be added as Top Gear hosts. The other rumoured contenders for the role included actor Philip Glenister, news presenter Guy Martin, “Classic Car Show” host Jodie Kidd, and even Formula F1 driver Jenson Button.

The timing of the announcement is probably as much to do with the BBC trying to resuscitate Top Gear before the show’s three former hosts (Messrs’ Clarkson, May and Hamilton) launch their new show on Amazon Prime, expected sometime this year. So, it looks like the only original cast member to return to the new version of Top Gear is none other than The Stig, whoever he is.