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| BBC says claims Top Gear's Chris Evans has been unprofessional are 'rubbish' | BBC says claims Top Gear's Chris Evans has been unprofessional are 'rubbish' |
| (1 day later) | |
| The BBC has launched a robust defence of Chris Evans’s stewardship of Top Gear, saying any suggestion he has been unprofessional is “rubbish”. | The BBC has launched a robust defence of Chris Evans’s stewardship of Top Gear, saying any suggestion he has been unprofessional is “rubbish”. |
| Reports over the weekend suggested that Evans had objected to the signing of Friends star Matt Le Blanc as co-presenter, and that he had forced out executive producer Lisa Clark, who quit the show in December after five months. | |
| The debut of the new Top Gear, without former presenters Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May, has reportedly been pushed back by two weeks to 22 May and the number of episodes reduced from eight to six. | The debut of the new Top Gear, without former presenters Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May, has reportedly been pushed back by two weeks to 22 May and the number of episodes reduced from eight to six. |
| Related: BBC gives TV bosses a sneak peek of Top Gear – including Chris Evans feeling sick | Related: BBC gives TV bosses a sneak peek of Top Gear – including Chris Evans feeling sick |
| However, BBC acting director of television Mark Linsey said Evans was a “consummate professional” and “a real team player” and denied there has been any problem with his behavior on set. | However, BBC acting director of television Mark Linsey said Evans was a “consummate professional” and “a real team player” and denied there has been any problem with his behavior on set. |
| “It is rubbish to suggest Chris Evans’ behaviour on the set of Top Gear has been in any way unprofessional,” said Linsey. | |
| “He is a passionate presenter who commits his heart and soul into everything he does – whether his Radio 2 show, Children In Need or Top Gear – and we are extremely fortunate to have him leading the show. | |
| “Also, it is simply not true to suggest Chris did not support the signing of Matt LeBlanc, when he has been behind Matt joining the presenting team since day one. | |
| “Chris and Matt are part of a wider production team that is full of brilliant and talented people. That team is tight-knit, in great spirits and utterly focused on delivering the best possible series for viewers.” | |
| Le Blanc was announced as Evans’s co-presenter in January in a move widely seen as designed to boost the show’s international appeal. Top Gear is one of the corporation’s most lucrative international exports, and formed a key part of its commercial arm’s pitch to foreign buyers last week. | Le Blanc was announced as Evans’s co-presenter in January in a move widely seen as designed to boost the show’s international appeal. Top Gear is one of the corporation’s most lucrative international exports, and formed a key part of its commercial arm’s pitch to foreign buyers last week. |
| The full six-person lineup for Top Gear was announced earlier this month, with Evans and Le Blanc joined by Formula One commentator Eddie Jordan, German racing driver Sabine Schmitz, motoring journalist Chris Harris and Rory Reid, a car reviewer picked from public auditions. | The full six-person lineup for Top Gear was announced earlier this month, with Evans and Le Blanc joined by Formula One commentator Eddie Jordan, German racing driver Sabine Schmitz, motoring journalist Chris Harris and Rory Reid, a car reviewer picked from public auditions. |