As the audience - and critical - ratings continue to plummet on the new version of Top Gear, co-host Chris Evans took to Twitter to announce he would no longer be involved.
Both Evans and his fellow co-host Matt LeBlanc were absent from the show's wrap party, as reported by The Daily Mail, amid rumours that the pair did not gel well on air, and LeBlanc's alleged claim that he would be leaving the show if Evans wasn't fired.
Stepping down from Top Gear. Gave it my best shot but sometimes that's not enough. The team are beyond brilliant, I wish them all the best.
— Chris Evans (@achrisevans) July 4, 2016
In a statement he added: "I have never worked with a more committed and driven team than the team I have worked with over the last twelve months. I feel like my standing aside is the single best thing I can now do to help the cause. I remain a huge fan of the show, always have been, always will be. I will continue to focus on my radio show and the allied events that it encompasses."
Mark Linsey, Director of BBC Studios, said: "Chris is stepping down from his duties on Top Gear. He says he gave it his best shot doing everything he could to make the show a success. He firmly believes that the right people remain, on both the production team and presenting team to take the show forward and make it the hit we want it to be. The new series has so far notched up over 30m views in the UK alone and has already been sold to 130 territories worldwide."
Meanwhile, according to The Telegraph, Evans is also facing sexual assault charges, with a a statement released this morning, the Metropolitian Police in London confirmed that a woman had made an allegation of “non-recent sexual assault” to officers on May 23rd, in which he is accused of grabbing the breasts of a female colleague in the 1990s.
Evans had previously denied the allegations, claiming "All these bullying claims and other allegations are just ridiculous", and that the amounted to nothing more than a "witch-hunt".
Speaking to the BBC, original Top Gear 'Stig' Perry McCarthy says he saw this coming:
"I expected this," - original Top Gear Stig, Perry McCarthy, on Chris Evans resignation https://t.co/bwfFhbYeSD https://t.co/7CIoZTOzCI
— BBC Breaking News (@BBCBreaking) July 4, 2016
