'Top Gear' season 23 news, spoilers: Show returns with new cast; Matt LeBlanc shares why he agreed to become host
The long-running British motoring series "Top Gear" returned to BBC Two on Sunday, May 29 with its new main hosts, English radio/TV presenter Chris Evans and former "Friends" star Matt LeBlanc.
Evans opened the show, saying, "Welcome to 'Top Gear' with our all-new, improved audience."
Apart from its new line-up of hosts — which also includes Rory Reid, Chris Harris, Sabine Schmitz and Eddie Jordan — the "Top Gear" reboot featured many of the original show's features and segments, including a supercar profile and a head-to-head competition between the two main hosts.
During the debut episode of the revamped show, Evans and LeBlanc drove Reliant three-wheelers from London to Blackpool.
LeBlanc had teased the race in a recent appearance on "The Graham Norton Show," saying, "They've cut the roofs off of this because it was gonna be raining so they figured, 'Better to have no roof.'"
In a departure from the original series, the "star in a reasonably priced car" part of the show was changed to a "stars in a rally cross car" competition on the show's new track, which now includes a water section, a jump, and an off-road dirt track.
"Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" actor Jesse Eisenberg and chef/"MasterChef" host Gordon Ramsay were the the first to take on the new track, with Ramsay clocking a better time than Eisenberg.
The "Top Gear" reboot came about after former presenters Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May left the series. The trio's departure followed what has been called a "fracas" between Clarkson and a "Top Gear" producer.
Earlier this year, the BBC announced that it had recruited six new hosts, including Evans and LeBlanc, for the show.
"They asked me if I wanted to be a host," LeBlanc told Entertainment Weekly in a recent interview. "I thought, I really like that show, and I love cars, and it just seemed like a cool, fun thing. It's a great group of people. They're all really dedicated to making the best show possible. Chris Evans is a ball to hang out with and you get to travel to far off places. I thought, 'Yeah, absolutely, I'm in!'"
"Top Gear" airs Sundays at 8 p.m. ET on BBC Two. The debut episode of the relaunched series aired in the U.S. on Monday, May 30, at 9 p.m. ET on BBC America.
