Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Evans dedicates show to Top Gear
FORMER Top Gear host Chris Evans dedicated his morning radio show to his excolleagues, advising them to “move on” without him.
The DJ announced yesterday that he was stepping down from the programme after just one series, leaving Friends star Matt LeBlanc in charge.
Speaking to listeners of his BBC Radio 2 breakfast show this morning, he said: “Today’s show is dedicated to all the Top Gear gang. And today’s show is entitled Breathe In, Breathe Out, Move On.”
In a tweet yesterday, Evans said he was stepping aside, adding he had given it his best shot but “sometimes that’s not enough”.
He praised the team behind the multimillion-pound programme, which is the BBC’s biggest earner.
Evans’ decision to resign came amid widespread reports that Scotland Yard has received an allegation of sexual assault against the presenter dating back to the 1990s.
The final episode of the revamped motoring show aired on Sunday after a rocky ride during its return without Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond.
The six-episode series was beset by unfavourable reviews, crashing ratings and reports of a breakdown in the relationship between t he t wo lead hosts.
A BBC spokesman said the plan was to continue with the current line-up of presenters in Evans’ absence.
It leaves LeBlanc as the main host, along with racing driver Sabine Schmitz, Formula One presenter Eddie Jordan, YouTube star Chris Harris, car enthusiast Rory Reid and The Stig.
Evans made a brief reference to his Top Gear exit while reading out the newspaper headlines during the breakfast show.
“I’ve got to go here, so bear with me,” he told listeners, quoting a front page: ‘Evans quits Top Gear: My best wasn’t good enough’.
“That’s true — that’s what I said yesterday in a tweet,” he said.
After reading out a few more headlines referring to him quitting the motoring programme, he said: “It’s all true, but of course there was another high-profile, much more important resignation yesterday that doesn’t make some of the front pages, and that’s Nigel Farage stepping down from a very influential political party that had a lot to do with the EU referendum last week or the week before.”