The new Top Gear lineup has finally been revealed. After months of speculation, the five presenters joining Chris Evans and The Stig have been announced. In no particular order, Matt LeBlanc, Eddie Jordan, Sabine Schmitz, Chris Harris and Rory Reid. Who exactly are these new faces set to join the most famous motoring show…in the world? Find out more about each presenter and watch them in action as we bring you the new Top Gear lineup.
Taking the lead with the new series is Chris Evans – the marmite of British television. Love him or hate him, you cannot deny that Evans is a huge petrolhead. A huge Ferrari fan, some of the cars in his garage would make any collector drool. No matter what your opinion of Evans, he is hugely popular with his BBC Radio 2 show the most listened to in the country. He also does a lot of good charity work, in particular the CarFest motoring festival that has raised over £3.5 million for Children In Need.
We've already covered Matt LeBlanc as Top Gear presenter after the shock announcement last week. LeBlanc brings the likability factor to the show, with his laid back, easy going demeanour a contrast to Evans's hyper presenting style. The fastest ever star in a reasonably priced car, it's safe to say he won't be holding back on the Top Gear track.
Eddie Jordan will be a familiar face to all Formula One fans out there. A popular member of the BBC F1 presenting team, Jordan is most famous for being the man behind the Jordan F1 team. Famously giving Schumacher his first seat in Formula One, Eddie Jordan racing regularly punched above their weight, even competing for the title with Heinz-Harald Frantzen in 1999. Expect Jordan to continue the tradition of the Top Gear presenters dressing awfully.
The queen of the Nürburgring, Sabine Schmitz becomes the first female Top Gear presenter in the history of the program. A professional motor racing driver, Schmitz has appeared on the program before, most memorably driving a Ford Transit Diesel around the Nürburgring after mocking Clarkson's slow time in a Jaguar S-Type.
Chris Harris is a motoring journalist and youtube star, having made films for NBC, /Drive and his own Chris Harris On Cars channel. "Top Gear is the thing that helped shape my life with cars, my perception of cars and my obsession with cars, and I’m raring to give it a go," said Harris, “I’m also quite gobby and happy to get into trouble."
Remember when Chris Evans announced they were inviting members of the public to send in their video auditions for the show? Well the winner has finally been announced. Rory Reid is a youtube car reviewer and journalist who presents on the Recombu Cars channel (featured in our rundown of top online car reviews). A relative unknown quality, there is no denying the quality of his videos, in particular this rap review of the Rolls Royce Phantom.
And finally, the sole survivor from the previous version of the show. Some say he was the best part of the original program, and that he is the sole saving grace for the new production. All that we know is...he's The Stig.
So that's your lineup. What do you think? It looks like they are taking a completely different approach with the show. Perhaps wise seeing as how iconic the original trio of Clarkson, May and Hammond have become. No matter what you might think of the new lineup, we will all be watching when the show returns to our screens this May.
The new #TopGear lineup has been revealed. Yay or Nay?
— Creditplus (@creditplus_uk) February 11, 2016