Matt LeBlanc joins BBC's 'Top Gear' as host
"How you doin?"
The BBC's revamped, Jeremy Clarkson-less Top Gear is taking shape, now having recruited the services of former Friends star Matt LeBlanc.
The actor will become co-host of the broadcaster's flagship motoring series alongside British TV and radio personality Chris Evans, who was announced last year.
"Matt's a lifelong fellow petrolhead and I'm thrilled he's joining Top Gear," said Evans of his new co-host, who becomes the first non-Brit to take the wheel of the show in its 39-year history. "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."
Although most known for Friends, LeBlanc has been a regular on British TV screens in recent years thanks to his Golden Globe-winning role in the BBC/Showtime series Episodes, soon to go into production on its fifth season.
See photos of Matt LeBlanc through the years:
"As a car nut and a massive fan of Top Gear, I'm honored and excited to be a part of this iconic show's new chapter," said LeBlanc, who has twice been a guest on the program and also hosted a spin-off, Top Gear: The Races. "What a thrill!"
The BBC said that more hosts are still to be announced, while Top Gear will be one of the main events at its BBC Worldwide showcase to international buyers, to be held in Liverpool later this month.
When it launches later this year, Top Gear will set to go head-to-head with its former host Clarkson, whose contract wasn't renewed last year after he punched a producer and following a string of headline-generating controversies. Amazon eventually swooped in for Clarkson and his former co-hosts James May and Richard Hammond in a deal that even Jeff Bezos admitted was "very, very, very expensive."
The as-yet-untitled Amazon Prime show -- reported to have cost some $250 million -- is also set to air later this year.
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