...but is Evans’s show any good?

WELCOME to the “new” Top Gear. The verdict? It’s a car show again, high on facts and low on entertainment. TV previewers were allowed to see just 18 minutes of tonight’s show. BBC cuts? Not a bit of it. Boot-loads of cash have been spent.

As a paid-up fan of the last version, I’m the worst person to review this show. Two films were made available: one with American actor Matt LeBlanc driving a Nomad buggy in Morocco, while the other sees presenter Chris Evans, who also produces the show, racing a Dodge Viper on a Nevada airstrip. While it’s difficult to make a definitive judgment, the new Top Gear is about as funny as failing to find a space in a multi-storey car park.

Worse still, LeBlanc’s presentation skills will be applauded by makers of corporate videos. And it’s far too American. That’s not only down to “Joey”. In Evans’ film, he goes to the US to the home of Top Gun to drive one muscle car against another. We have been there before and it’s hard to care. Again, this is an out-and-out car show, a throwback. Evans even talks earnestly about changing gears. It’s a gear change all right: from witty, mocking, blokey banter to lots of fascinating car detail that even a car salesman wouldn’t bore you with.

A man, or woman, driving a car very fast, and shouting “whoa!” doesn’t make a hit car show. It’s like watching celebrities on a track day at Silverstone.

OK, no one could really follow the last format. It should have been parked for a spell. Clarkson, Hammond and May have gone for good, and the only people who will be celebrating the new Top Gear work at Amazon Prime. But hey, maybe the other 42 minutes will be amazing.