Ben Collins, who played The Stig in several series of Top Gear, has revealed that he believes the show might not be around for much longer. The 41-year-old professional racing driver and stunt man thinks the show may be dropped from the BBC line-up after the Series 23 re-brand was panned by audiences.
He added that the show is in even more danger if the viewer figures don’t pick up soon. “The problem is viewers need to gel with the presenters or the show is under threat,” Collins said.
However, Collins did praise Friends star Matt Le Blanc for his role in the show’s revival, calling him a “real natural” Top Gear presenter, compared to the heavily panned Chris Evans, who stepped down from the show after only one series.
As well as the show being criticised, filming for Top Gear Series 23 was plagued with issues, including Chris yelling at the audience when they didn’t laugh at his jokes and Matt coming under fire for doing donuts in front of the Cenotaph with Ken Block.
One off participants of the show, including F1 racer Jensen Button, found themselves in the presenter’s seat after fans praised their brief appearances. It has not been confirmed who (if anyone) will join Le Blanc for Series 24, after he was offered the chance to stay on for more money.
Meanwhile, Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May, who all left Top Gear together after Clarkson was unceremoniously fired from his role as the lead presenter of the driving show, have a lot to be smiling about.