Chris Evans signs on as new host

News has emerged today that Chris Evans has signed a three-year deal to lead an all new line up for Top Gear. That’s right, three all new hosts…

Chris, who has previously appeared twice on Top Gear, made the following announcement,

“I’m thrilled, Top Gear is my favourite programme of all time. Created by a host of brilliant minds who love cars and understand how to make the massively complicated come across as fun, devil-may-care and effortless. When in fact, of course, it’s anything but and that’s the genius of Top Gear’s global success. I promise I will do everything I possibly can to respect what has gone on before and take the show forward.”

Kim Shillinglaw, the controller of BBC Two and BBC Four and self-confessed fan of the show, added: “I am so delighted that Chris will be presenting the next series of Top Gear.

“His knowledge of and passion for cars are well-known and combined with his sheer inventiveness and cheeky unpredictability he is the perfect choice to take our much-loved show into the future.

Who is Chris Evans?

For those who don’t know him, multimillionaire Chris Evans has long been known as a motoring enthusiast who owns an extensive collection of classic and vintage cars. A regular in the UK tabloids, his brash style appears to have won him fans and detractors in equal numbers over the years.

Back in 2001 he was banned from driving for 56 days and fined £600 after being stopped by Surrey Police for driving at 105 mph on the A3 road in Esher Then in 2005 Evans crashed his silver Ferrari 575M Maranello into a verge near his home in Surrey. In 2008 he purchased a 1961 Ferrari 250 GT Spyder California formerly owned by US actor James Coburn, for the then world record price of 6.4 Million Euros.

Then as if that wasn’t expensive enough for you, in 2010 he bought a 1963 Ferrari 250 GTO, one of only thirty-six built, for £12 million. Reportedly he sold three other Ferraris from his collection to pay for it.

Just in case you don’t envy him enough already, his collection also includes a Ferrari LaFerrari, Ferrari GTO, 328 GTS and 458 Italia, a Daimler SP250 Dart and V8 Vicarage Convertible, James Hunt’s 1971 Hesketh 308 F1 car, a Mk2 Jaguar, Mercedes-Benz S-Class and 190SL, Bentley Turbo R and Bentley T2, plus a Volkswagen Beetle and a Mk1 Ford Escort Mexico.

While I would have preferred to see the original hosts return to Top Gear, I personally think Chris Evans is the best alternative the BBC has right now for keeping the show alive.

Production set to start on Series 23

The BBC has also confirmed today that production of Top Gear Series 23 will start in the next few weeks. It is unknown at this time whether all of the existing Top Gear production team and film crew have stayed on, following the departure of Jeremy, Richard and James, but we do know that the show’s executive producer Andy Wilman will not be returning.