It was always going to be a tough sell but the new Top Gear has really gone down badly with viewers, with only 4.4million tuning in to watch Chris Evans and Matt LeBlanc host the new look show.

Overnight figures show 22.8% of the available audience watched the show, making it the most watched programme in its time slot – the 2016 British Soap Awards on ITV attracted 3.9million viewers.

At its peak the show had 4.7million viewers.

But that's not going to be enough to please new host Chris, who earlier in the week admitted that he would be left 'disappointed' if the show received fewer than five million viewers for the debut episode.

Top Gear was the most watched show on Sunday - but the figures are still bad
Rory Reid, Chris Evans, The Stig, Matt LeBlanc, Sabine Schmitz, Chris Harris (Picture: BBC)

Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond's final episode, which aired in June 2015, had an audience of 5.3 million, with a peak of 5.7 million – that episode was made up of two different episodes, both of which had been left uncompleted following the "fracas" that occured between Jeremy and a producer[1].

The show opened with new host Chris Evans welcoming viewers with the line: 'Welcome to Top Gear with our all-new, improved… audience.'

However his presenting style didn't go down well with fans[2], although co-host Matt LeBlanc was branded the star of the show.

Programme Name: Top Gear 2016 - TX: n/a - Episode: Top Gear 2016 Ireland (No. n/a) - Picture Shows: puts the Rolls Royce Dawn through its paces in Ireland's Ring of Kerry today for the new series of Top Gear which will premiere on BBC Two next month. Matt LeBlanc - (C) BBC World Wide Limited - Photographer: Gus Gregory
Matt LeBlanc, star of the show? (Picture: BBC)

According to Coral Bookmakers, Chris is now 10/1 to be sacked while there are odds of 6/1 that Matt will quit.

Coral's Nicola McGeady said: 'If the rumours about Evans' and LeBlanc's frosty relationship are true, then we wouldn't be surprised if one of them walked away from the show before the series even ends.

'The odds suggest it still won't surpass Clarkson's last ever show in the ratings war.'

MORE: Flop Gear! Will Chris Evans be sacked after Top Gear finishes?[3]

MORE: Chris Evans accused of copying Jeremy Clarkson as new Top Gear finally airs[4]