The Source headed to the global press launch this week to find out more about the new show.
The new-look Top Gear starts this Sunday (May 29) with Chris Evans and Matt LeBlanc heading up the team of seven presenters. But while the cast is different, fans around the world will be pleased to know that the producers haven’t tinkered with the format too much.
Speaking at the global press launch on Wednesday, Chris Evans said: “It would be like taking over a successful football club and throwing away the goal posts and ripping up the pitch. We’ve got to keep what we know the fans like. Yes, we’ve got a slightly different studio and yes, it is a different team of presenters, but at the end of the day it’s still all about the cars and the capers and just having a right laugh.”
Chris and Matt are joined by German racing driver (and the first female presenter in 15 years) Sabine Schmitz, former Formula 1 team owner Eddie Jordan, motoring journalist Chris Harris and motoring YouTube star Rory Reid. And of course, not to forget The Stig.
The new team were more than happy to talk about the old Top Gear with Eddie Jordan saying: “We can’t escape what Top Gear was or what they (Clarkson, Hammond and May) will do on Amazon. But we’re very focused on making our own show. The previous show was brilliant, but we’re going to be even better. If anything, the new Top Gear is even more about the cars than the old Top Gear. The show is in an outstanding space. We’ve got so many people coming together to make it great.”
Chris and Matt are the lead presenters and the other presenters are drafted in and out for the VTs as needed, with everyone working to their particular strengths.
“That’s the beauty of having such a mix of people,” says Chris. “We’ve employed all the best people for the job. They cover all the bases.”
With such a diverse team of presenters the show is hoping to attract an even wider audience than before. It currently screens in 212 territories worldwide with a global estimated audience of 350 million. When the show goes out in the UK on Sunday night, within 72 hours it will have been seen in 83 countries around the world. There are 23 million fans on Facebook and the Top Gear YouTube channel is the biggest motoring media channel with 1.4 billion views.
Sunday’s debut will see Sabine and Chris travel to US Naval Base Fallon to go head-to-head in the Dodge Viper ACR and Corvette Z06. In the same episode Matt LeBlanc takes the Nomad – the latest off-road offering from tiny British firm Ariel – to the wilds of Morocco. So yes, fans can expect to see the same (if not better) cinematography they love from the Top Gears of past.
The series of six episodes will also see Matt, Chris and Eddie in South Africa putting SUVs to the test and Rory Reid testing the new Ford Mustang in northern Scotland.
One new feature of Top Gear will be the introduction of Extra Gear, a half hour special screened straight after Top Gear on BBC Three and iPlayer. Presented by Rory Reid and Chris Harris the show delves a bit deeper into the main show and targets the core Top Gear audience. Rory and Chris will have additional VTs to the main show and have greater in-depth interviews.
BBC Worldwide has invested a lot into the Top Gear brand over the years and this looks like it will continue with the new-look show. Expectations are high and one thing’s for sure, all Top Gear fans, no matter how sceptical, will be tuned in on Sunday night as the famous theme tune by the Allman Brothers rings through living rooms around the country.
