Wow, nobody saw this coming. BBC Top Gear announced today that American actor Matt LeBlanc, whom you may know better as Joey from Friends, will be presenting the new series alongside Chris Evans and a few other yet-to-be-announced media personalities.
Now, you may need some time to adjust to this news because, well, Matt LeBlanc? On Top Gear? WTF? What can he bring to the table apart from his fame as a Hollywood has-been (not that we think he is a has-been, but some people definitely think that)?
But before you make judgments based on your prejudices, or accuse a desperate BBC of trying too hard to jam the new Top Gear down people’s throat by buying celebrities, we should point out Matt LeBlanc could turn out to be a pretty good Top Gear presenter. The man is known petrolhead and most likely the only actor who knows what Gemballa is, since he has a Gemballa-tuned Porsche himself. What’s more, Matt was the fastest Star in a Reasonably Priced car, when that car was a Kia cee’d, setting a lap time of 1m 42.1s. So it could all turn out better than what we expect.
“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,” said Matt. “What a thrill!”
Chris Evans said of his new TG presenter: “Matt’s a lifelong fellow petrolhead and I’m thrilled he’s joining Top Gear. 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. We can’t wait to share what we’ve been up to on screen later this year.”
Via Top Gear