Top Gear's Chris Evans quits

The BBC's world-wide smash hit TV show, Top Gear, has either taken another massive hit or been given a new lease on life, depending on how you viewed new front man Chris Evans.

The former radio host – who will now return to his BBC 2 show – announced his resignation from the renewed version of UK car show Top Gear overnight.

He tweeted to his 2.3 million followers: "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."

It was always going to be a tough act to follow in the footsteps of Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May, former presenters of Top Gear who are about to start a new TV show dubbed GT, or the Grand Tour, via internet streaming TV (Amazon).

Once one of the world's most-watch TV shows, Top Gear's latest season has proved to be a flop, hitting a new low of two million viewers in 2016.

The TV show aims to offer an irreverent, amusing and high-impact appraisal of new cars, but was criticised for its lack of actual 'review' content – something the former hosts managed to do while adding plenty of levity.

Although Evans, aged 50, has not been blamed for Top Gear's tanking in the ratings and was supposedly not asked to quit, UK newspaper The Mirror is reporting that Evans was embroiled in a police investigation over an alleged sexual assault where he supposedly exposed himself to a woman then fondled her.

It has also been reported than Evans and co-host Matt LeBlanc didn't see eye to eye.
The BBC released a statement in which Mark Linsey, BBC Studios director, 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."

In the same document, Evans stated: "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. I will continue to focus on my radio show and the allied events that it encompasses."

Whatever the cause of Evans departure, Top Gear will now have fewer excuses for waning audiences.