Chris Evans has announced his departure from Top Gear in a Tweet, saying he gave it the best shot but it was not enough. The newly revamped show just completed its ‘first’ season last night, essentially Season 23. Evans has been the center of criticisms on the new show, whose ratings dropped drastically. Till now, he was the main host on the show, presenting alongside Matt LeBlanc, Chris Evans, Rory Reid, Sabine Schmitz and Eddie Jordan.
Stepping down from Top Gear. Gave it my best shot but sometimes that's not enough. The team are beyond brilliant, I wish them all the best.
— Chris Evans (@achrisevans) July 4, 2016
Full steam ahead then with Radio 2, CarFest, Children In Need, 500 Words and whatever else we can dream up in the future.
— Chris Evans (@achrisevans) July 4, 2016
The new show has suffered from low ratings week after week, starting with a high of 8 million plus viewers in the first episode before falling gradually to 1.9 million viewers last night. That was only 8.6% of the available viewers, and an 800,000 drop from the previous episode which had 2.7 million viewers.
Evans also spoke to the BBC after his announcement, adding, “I have never worked with a more committed and driven team than the team I have worked with over the last 12 months. I feel like my standing aside is the single best thing I can now do to help the cause. I remain a huge fan of the show, always have been, always will be.”
