Former star of Friends joins BBC Top Gear

Former Friends star Matt LeBlanc will be joining the BBC’s popular Top Gear programme, to co-present the revamped car show with Chris Evans, the British broadcaster said on Thursday.

LeBlanc, who starred as Joey Tribbiani on the NBC sitcom Friends, is the first non-British actor to host the BBC show in its 39-year history.

One of the globe’s most popular programmes, Top Gear has won a huge following with its mix of car tips, driving stunts and jokey banter.

“As a car nut and a massive fan of Top Gear, I’m honoured and excited to be a part of this iconic show’s new chapter,” LeBlanc said. “What a thrill!” The show’s revamp became necessary after former host Jeremy Clarkson left the programme amid a scandal. He was fired after he punched a producer during an off-set altercation. The two other hosts of the motoring show, Richard Hammond and James May, also left along with Clarkson.

The altercation threatened the show itself, as Clarkson’s brash persona was a large part of the programme’s appeal to fans. A self-styled enemy of political correctness, Clarkson had repeatedly found himself in trouble with the BBC after a series of incidents, including one in which he used a racist word during the filming of a show.

In 2012, the Indian high commission in London had complained to BBC about “India Special” episode of Top Gear that showed a Jaguar that had a lavatory fixed to the boot. Clarkson was shown wearing his boxers while ironing his trousers in front of an audience and the producers of the programme had put up banners on Indian trains reading, “British IT is good for your company” and “Eat English muffins,” but these messages became obscene when the carriages parted, ripping up the signs.

The Indian high commission had asked for an apology for the programme that it said was “replete with cheap jibes, tasteless humour and lacked cultural sensitivity.” On Thursday, LeBlanc’s addition to the revamped show was announced as Evans tweeted an image of them together beside with the helmeted character in the programme known as The Stig.

Evans, who will helm the Top Gear relaunch, said he was thrilled LeBlanc, “a lifelong fellow petrolhead,” was joining the show. “Acting out our craziest car notions on screen is a dream job and I know we’ll both be debating some epic road trip ideas,” Evans said.

The current series appears in more than 50 countries and the BBC has sold the format for locally-produced versions in the US, China, Russia, Australia and South Korea.

Clarkson, along with his two co-presenters, is now working on a new motoring show for Amazon.