Ever since Top Gear[1] fired the previous hosts and brought Chris Evans[2] in to replace them, we've all been waiting to find out who else would be joining him on the cast. And now we have our next piece of the puzzle: it's Joey from Friends! Today, Matt LeBlanc has been announced as a new co-host of the rebooted BBC car show[3].
The actor is, of course, best known for playing Joey Tribbiani on the hit 1990s NBC sitcom Friends, a role which he reprieved for his own spin-off show Joey. He also won a Golden Globe for his starring role in Episodes – which aired on Showtime in America and – you guessed it – BBC Two in the UK.
That's the same channel on which Top Gear has traditionally run, but it's not LeBlanc's only encounter with the program. He also appeared on the show a few years ago to set the fastest time ever in the Kia[4] Cee'd in the "Star in a R easonably-Priced Car" segment (embedded below) – a time which hasn't been topped, given that the Vauxhall Astra[5] that followed has proven slower. Matt also hosted a special called Top Gear: The Races, which put him in prime position to join the new cast.
Along with LeBlanc and Evans, the new lineup is also tipped[6] to include German driving guru Sabine Schmitz and British automotive journalist Chris Harris. David Coulthard, the former F1 driver and television commentator from Scotland, has also been linked to a role on the show, and of course there'll be the Stig. The show's producers promise more announcements to follow soon, so watch this space.
