Chris Evans and Matt LeBlanc were previously announced as hosts of UK car series
BBC America revealed the five additional hosts who will join Chris Evans[1] and Matt LeBlanc[2] on the relaunch of "Top Gear" on Thursday.
Formula 1 commentator Eddie Jordan, world record-breaking German racing driver Sabine Schmitz, auto journalist and YouTube star Chris Harris, and car reviewer and TV presenter Rory Reid will all join the long-running U.K. car series.
Jordan is a Dublin-born entrepreneur who has flirted with cars all his life. As owner of the former Jordan Grand Prix team, he gave many of the world's most iconic drivers their first taste of the most powerful and loudest starting grid on the planet.
Also Read: 'Friends' Star Joins BBC's 'Top Gear' as New Co-Host[3]
Schmitz, the legendary Queen of the Nurburgring, re-enters "Top Gear" folklore by becoming the show's first female presenter in 15 years. Sabine has already completed some filming with Evans.
Harris, comes armed with a self-confessed determination to cause mischief and tell viewers insightful things about automobiles they probably didn't even think they needed to know.
Reid, who was recruited to "Top Gear" from the show's 2015 public auditions, is an award-winning journalist, has launched and presented for CNET's Car Tech channel, and also had a starring role in Sky 1's Gadget Geeks series.
Also Read: 'Top Gear' Producer Files Lawsuit Against Jeremy Clarkson, BBC[4]
"We really do have a bit of everything for everyone," Evans said of his new team. "A fellow lifelong petrolhead from the other side of the pond in Matt; a fearless speed-demon in the irrepressible and effervescent Sabine; the encyclopedic, funny and wonderfully colorful character that is EJ; Chris, one of the world's top no-nonsense car reviewers; and Rory, who simply blew me away in his audition and fully deserves his place on the team."
The changes follow the exit of longtime host Clarkson, who was fired last March, after an investigation into an assault on producer Oisin Tymon. Clarkson reportedly spent 20 minutes berating Tymon before physically assaulting him during a fracas over the lack of hot food after filming.
Shortly after, Clarkson's "Top Gear" co-hosts, Richard Hammong and James May, said that they wouldn't return to the show without their colleague, calling the idea a "non-starter" that "just wouldn't work.
Also Read: 'Top Gear' Crew Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, James May Sign Three-Season Deal With Amazon[5]
Top Gear returns this May to BBC America.
References
- ^ Chris Evans (www.thewrap.com)
- ^ Matt LeBlanc (www.thewrap.com)
- ^ 'Friends' Star Joins BBC's 'Top Gear' as New Co-Host (www.thewrap.com)
- ^ 'Top Gear' Producer Files Lawsuit Against Jeremy Clarkson, BBC (www.thewrap.com)
- ^ 'Top Gear' Crew Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, James May Sign Three-Season Deal With Amazon (www.thewrap.com)
