LeBlanc confirmed as new Top Gear revs up

US star Matt LeBlanc has been named the co-presenter on iconic motoring series Top Gear.

The Friends star will be part of the presenting team alongside Chris Evans as UK pubcaster the BBC readies the new version of the series.

The long-running show was pulled from BBC Two in the wake of a scandal that involved star presenter Jeremy Clarkson hitting a member of the crew and there has been huge anticipation about how Chris Evans and his team will reformat the show.

Having LeBlanc on the team marks the first time a non-British presenter has featured on the show. He is already on BBC Two, in BBC-Showtime coproduced comedy Episodes.

This morning Le Blanc said: “As a car nut and a massive fan of Top Gear, I’m honoured and excited to be a part of this iconic show’s new chapter.”

As well as being popular on BBC Two, Top Gear is also one of BBC Worldwide’s best-selling shows, and a successful format with local versions on air in the US and Korea among other territories.

BBC Worldwide, the BBC’s commercial arm, will present the reformatted Top Gear to international buyers for the first time at its Showcase event later this month. Worldwide said the 700 assembled buyers at the Liverpool event will get a glimpse of what’s in store and host Chris Evans will be attendance.

Speaking about his new co-host, Evans said: “Matt’s a lifelong fellow petrolhead and I’m thrilled he’s joining Top Gear. Acting out our craziest car notions on screen is a dream job and I know we’ll both be debating some epic road trip ideas. We can’t wait to share what we’ve been up to on screen later this year.”

The new Top Gear rolls out in May in the UK. There are few details yet about the rival series the former Top Gear team is making for Amazon’s Prime Instant Video streaming service.