Top Gear frontman Matt LeBlanc has announced that he is leaving the popular motoring show this year, BBC confirmed. The Friends star cited personal reasons for his departure, saying that while helming the show was “great fun”, the “time commitment and extensive travel… takes me away from my family and friends more than I’m comfortable with.”
LeBlanc added, “It’s unfortunate, but for these reasons I will not be continuing my involvement with the show. I will forever be a Top Gear fan and I wish the team continued success. Thanks for a great drive.”
The American actor will stay on for one more season (Series 26, airing later this year), after which he would have completed four seasons on the British motoring programme since joining on in 2016. LeBlanc was one of six new hosts – headed by radio host Chris Evans – signed on in the wake of former host Jeremy Clarkson’s dismissal.
That lineup lasted only one season before Evans resigned from his role on the show, after low ratings and alleged disagreements with the hosts and staff (including LeBlanc himself). Since then, LeBlanc led a rejuvenated Top Gear with a number of big changes, not least of which being Chris Harris and Rory Reid being promoted to main hosts.
Controller for the BBC Two channel Patrick Holland said, “I want to thank the fabulous Matt LeBlanc for being a brilliant co-host on Top Gear. Matt has thrown himself into the show with real passion, revealing his extraordinary car knowledge and a willingness to get down and dirty. We were always going to be borrowing him from his day job as one of the top comic actors in Hollywood so I wish him all the very best.”
This leaves the door open for a new host from 2019 onwards, and whoever steps into the role will have big shoes to fill. Top Gear gained a massive following during the Clarkson era, and even the last season was claimed to have attracted six times the average volume of 18 to 34 year olds on BBC Two. The show is aired in over 200 territories around the world, so the new host should have international recognition, too.
Some great footage from LeBlanc’s time on the show, in the video above.
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Rowan Atkinson please!!!
Harith Iskander lerr
boooo
Lol. Idiotic unfunny stand-up dummy “comedian”. He doesn’t make jokes, he himself is a joke.
To me, Driven and Paul Tan and Hafriz is far better than Top Gear. I prefer our local talent. They are 100X more knowledgeable and better content than Top Gear
Thank you guys for the hard work. Infact, oOp Gear must follow and emulate you guys.
Even Paul and Hafriz also dislike
Many people doubted about LeBlanc’s abilities when BBC announced he would be hosting Top Gear. Well, three years on, glad to say that LeBlanc has proven many of his critics wrong with his addictive honesty, passion, humour and knowledge.
matt watson..?
matt leblanc out…
mat watson in….
Mat Watson
Editorial Director
Mat is in charge of carwow’s editorial team and spends most of his time driving cars and saying things about them to a camera, mostly online for our video reviews but also on TV.
As well as being a motoring journalist for more than 12 years, Mat’s also a qualified chartered accountant and has a degree in Chemistry. So if you want to know what a particular model is like to drive, how much it will cost to run and the chemical equation for fossil fuel combustion… he’s your man.
Oh, now you are saying you are a lab technician with the government. Wait, does that mean you are using government properties for your own agenda? Or you want to say you are the director, so you can do whatever you want?
U high or what?
I dont find him amusing at all. He is not as funny as he used to be in his past tv sitcom. His acting is quite stiff and talk slowly, like he is thinking what should i say to make it funny….
Chris n Rory are wayyyyy natural than Matt….so he is a good riddance i must say
bring in racer with all the tech knowledge & who can speak well be the host… like Jason Plato & Tiff Needle in Fifth Gear.
I respect Matt Leblance for his honesty in choosing family time over Top Gear for his reason on leaving. All the best