Matt LeBlanc quits Top Gear

The BBC is hunting for a new Top Gear presenter yet again after Matt LeBlanc announced that he is quitting.

Matt LeBlanc filming Top Gear outside BBC Broadcasting House in London in 2016. Picture: Neil Mockford/Alex Huckle/GC Images via Getty Images

The BBC is hunting for a new Top Gear presenter yet again after Matt LeBlanc announced that he is quitting.

LeBlanc, the former Friends star, said that he was stepping down after the next series because of the demands of the role and the amount that it keeps him away from his family and friends.

His departure represents another blow to the BBC Two show, which has struggled to maintain ratings and relevance since Jeremy Clarkson was axed as host in 2015.

Clarkson launched The Grand Tour on Amazon Prime Video with his former Top Gear co-hosts James May and Richard Hammond after he was sacked by the BBC for punching a producer.

Former Top Gear hosts Richard Hammond, left, James May and Jeremy Clarkson. Picture: AFP

Top Gear was relaunched with LeBlanc and the Radio 2 presenter Chris Evans in 2016, but Evans walked out after one series amid poor reviews and reports of a breakdown in his relationship with his co-host.

LeBlanc, 50, stepped up to become main presenter and his disarming style is popular with viewers. However, the most recent series, which aired this year, attracted an average audience of 3.1 million, down from the more than 7 million who regularly tuned in during the show’s peak under Clarkson.

The BBC will be desperate to secure a new lead presenter who can restore the show’s fortunes and boost global sales. It is one of the corporation’s biggest international brands, generating revenues of up to £50 million a year from overseas rights, live shows, DVDs and book sales.

In a statement released by BBC Studios, the corporation’s commercial arm, LeBlanc said his experience on Top Gear had been “great fun” and he had “thoroughly enjoyed working with the whole team . . . However, the time commitment and extensive travel required to present Top Gear takes me away from my family and friends more than I’m comfortable with”.

LeBlanc spoke of the difficulty of balancing filming with family in a recent interview with The Times. He has a daughter with his ex-wife Melissa McKnight, a model.

“I realised the most important thing in life is your family so I hit the reset button, focused on the things that were really important and got through it,” he said.

LeBlanc will present his fourth and final series of the car programme this year. In the previous series his co-hosts were Chris Harris and Rory Reid.

The Times

Top Gear with Matt LeBlanc, Rory Reid and Chris Harris.