Well, that certainly didn’t take long. New Top Gear helmsman Chris Evans and Friends alum Matt LeBlanc—whom Evans reportedly didn’t want on the show anyway—are apparently not getting along with one another. In fact, Evans apparently blames LeBlanc for the donut fiasco at the Cenotaph last month.
That report comes from The Sun, which is of course a tabloid rag owned by BBC-hating news oligarch Rupert Murdoch, but has had some spot-on gossip about the show in the past. Here’s what they say:
Top Gear hosts Chris Evans and Matt Le Blanc’s relationship has broken down in a new blow for the revamped show.
Bad blood has intensified since the US actor’s “donut” stunt at the Cenotaph was slammed as disrespectful.
Radio 2 host Chris – who never wanted him on board – blames Matt, 48, for last month’s war memorial filming becoming a PR disaster. A source said: “Matt was never Chris’s choice — it was a decision forced upon him to attract the US market.
“He accepted it and was desperate to strike up a bond when they were filming, but the spark just wasn’t there. Since the Cenotaph, their relationship’s deteriorated. Chris thinks Matt severely damaged the brand.
Oh, come on. Doing Mustang donuts in front of part of a war memorial is hands down the least controversial controversy in Top Gear’s entire history. Hey Evans—were your people chased out of the country by an angry mob? Then let that shit slide, dude.
But The Sun says part of the problem here is Evans and his apparent total lack of chill, saying his “controlling nature” has become a problem for all involved.
The new Top Gear has been beset with problems before a single episode has even aired, from the Cenotaph thing to shooting issues in Kazakhstan to on-set drama to Evans’ apparent unwillingness to give up his radio show to focus on the car show. Plus, they’ll have some serious competition from the three guys who used to have their jobs now at Amazon.
Oh well, I’m still excited about Chris Harris and Sabine Schmitz.