Chris Evans
Chris Evans, who was confirmed this week as the new host of Top Gear, has confirmed a woman will be part of the presenter line-up when the show returns next year.
The 49-year-old BBC Radio 2 breakfast presenter hadlong been tipped to take the driving seat on the flagship BBC show after Jeremy Clarkson was sacked for punching a producer in a row over steak.
It emerged he was offered the job last Thursday afternoon, once it became clear Clarkson’s co-presenters Richard Hammond and James May were finally ruling themselves out of returning.
He told BBC Radio 5 Live presenter Nicky Campbell during an interview that he could “100%” confirm he would have a female co-star “but not for the sake of it”.
Evans told his radio listeners on Wednesday morning that he texted the three outgoing presenters to tell them he had been offered the job and accepted it, and they lined up to congratulate him.
Evans told his listeners Clarkson said: “I knew you would, and best of luck.”
In a text, Hammond told Evans: “You were designed and built for that job and it will be great. It was also always the BBC’s very best option if you take it up, and I certainly don’t blame you for doing so. Good luck. Richard.”
The DJ told listeners he will be meeting show’s producers today and said “we realise there is a lot of work to do and serious focusing to be done”.
Evans revealed Mark Linsey, the BBC’s head of entertainment commissioning, texted him last Thursday, asking: “Would you be interested at all in having a Top Gear conversation?”
Evans said: “I had one brief text exchange about Top Gear with somebody very high up in the BBC and it was when what has now become infamous happened, and that was very short, very concise, saying ‘if anything happened in the future would you be up for a conversation?’
“So the text I received on Thursday was pretty similar to the one I received three months ago or whenever it was.”
