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| Chris Evans’ Top Gear loses a third of its audience | Chris Evans’ Top Gear loses a third of its audience |
| (3 months later) | |
| Chris Evans’ Top Gear suffered a big drop in its viewing figures for its second episode, drawing what is thought to be its lowest audience for at least a decade. | Chris Evans’ Top Gear suffered a big drop in its viewing figures for its second episode, drawing what is thought to be its lowest audience for at least a decade. |
| The BBC motoring show – worth £50m a year to the BBC in worldwide sales – lost a third of its audience, pulling in just 2.8 million viewers, a 14% share of the audience on Sunday night. | The BBC motoring show – worth £50m a year to the BBC in worldwide sales – lost a third of its audience, pulling in just 2.8 million viewers, a 14% share of the audience on Sunday night. |
| Evans had previously said he would be “disappointed” if the show drew less than 5 million ahead of its high profile return following the axing of Jeremy Clarkson last year. | Evans had previously said he would be “disappointed” if the show drew less than 5 million ahead of its high profile return following the axing of Jeremy Clarkson last year. |
| The presenter took to Twitter last week after the first episode drew an overnight audience of 4.3 million viewers, saying it had many more on catchup and on the BBC’s iPlayer. | The presenter took to Twitter last week after the first episode drew an overnight audience of 4.3 million viewers, saying it had many more on catchup and on the BBC’s iPlayer. |
| Evans said on Monday, after the latest viewing figures came out, that people were “repositioning” the way they watch TV and said a total of 9 million viewers had watched the first episode, more than double its overnight audience. | Evans said on Monday, after the latest viewing figures came out, that people were “repositioning” the way they watch TV and said a total of 9 million viewers had watched the first episode, more than double its overnight audience. |
| The official consolidated figures for the launch show, including people who recorded it and watched it in the following seven days, are expected on Monday. It is thought Evans is also including people who watched it on iPlayer. | The official consolidated figures for the launch show, including people who recorded it and watched it in the following seven days, are expected on Monday. It is thought Evans is also including people who watched it on iPlayer. |
| The way Top Gear is being viewed is repositioning the way television is consumed. Last week 9 millions viewers. This week we shall see. | The way Top Gear is being viewed is repositioning the way television is consumed. Last week 9 millions viewers. This week we shall see. |
| Sunday night’s overnight audience is lower than the 3.1 million average for the first Top Gear series featuring Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond broadcast in 2002. James May joined the pair a series later. | Sunday night’s overnight audience is lower than the 3.1 million average for the first Top Gear series featuring Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond broadcast in 2002. James May joined the pair a series later. |
| That figure is thought to include consolidated ratings, although the proportion of people recording the show to watch it later was far lower a decade ago. | That figure is thought to include consolidated ratings, although the proportion of people recording the show to watch it later was far lower a decade ago. |
| It is also just over half the 5.1 million who watched the last regular episode to feature the show’s former presenting lineup before Clarkson’s suspension following a “fracas” with a producer last March. | It is also just over half the 5.1 million who watched the last regular episode to feature the show’s former presenting lineup before Clarkson’s suspension following a “fracas” with a producer last March. |
| However, there were also mitigating factors for Sunday night’s low overnight audience, including the warm weather and ITV’s celebrity football show Soccer Aid, which averaged 3.9 million across four hours from 6pm to 10pm. | However, there were also mitigating factors for Sunday night’s low overnight audience, including the warm weather and ITV’s celebrity football show Soccer Aid, which averaged 3.9 million across four hours from 6pm to 10pm. |
| One senior TV industry executive said it was “hold your nerve time” for the show which is two episodes into its first six-part run post-Clarkson. | One senior TV industry executive said it was “hold your nerve time” for the show which is two episodes into its first six-part run post-Clarkson. |
| Top Gear is BBC2’s biggest show but, more importantly than that, it is the biggest earner for the BBC’s commercial arm, BBC Worldwide, watched in more than 80 countries within 72 hours of its broadcast in the UK. | Top Gear is BBC2’s biggest show but, more importantly than that, it is the biggest earner for the BBC’s commercial arm, BBC Worldwide, watched in more than 80 countries within 72 hours of its broadcast in the UK. |
| The BBC moved to defend the show after reports that 370 viewers had complained about its new incarnation – perhaps predictable after the departure of its long-running presenting team – but also that it received the lowest audience appreciation scores of any BBC2 show last week. | The BBC moved to defend the show after reports that 370 viewers had complained about its new incarnation – perhaps predictable after the departure of its long-running presenting team – but also that it received the lowest audience appreciation scores of any BBC2 show last week. |
| Evans and the show have come in for sustained criticism in some sections of the media, in particular the Sun, which led its front page on Saturday with a report that the show was in a “new crisis” after it apparently used canned laughter. | Evans and the show have come in for sustained criticism in some sections of the media, in particular the Sun, which led its front page on Saturday with a report that the show was in a “new crisis” after it apparently used canned laughter. |
| Evans, the Radio 2 breakfast DJ, had previously described tabloid criticism as “facile and fictitious”. | Evans, the Radio 2 breakfast DJ, had previously described tabloid criticism as “facile and fictitious”. |
| Speaking at the programme’s launch two weeks ago, he said press stories, which alleged he did not get along with co-presenter Matt LeBlanc, and his behaviour was “out of control”, were “nonsense”. | Speaking at the programme’s launch two weeks ago, he said press stories, which alleged he did not get along with co-presenter Matt LeBlanc, and his behaviour was “out of control”, were “nonsense”. |
| “None of it was true, but there’s no point saying that, there’s just no point,” he said. | “None of it was true, but there’s no point saying that, there’s just no point,” he said. |
| “In many ways my job for this year has been not only to make this show but to take all the shit, which was going to happen. I knew I was going to get the shit kicked out of me.” | “In many ways my job for this year has been not only to make this show but to take all the shit, which was going to happen. I knew I was going to get the shit kicked out of me.” |
| It was never going to be easy replacing Clarkson, a divisive figure who nevertheless attracted a huge devoted following on the BBC2 show. | It was never going to be easy replacing Clarkson, a divisive figure who nevertheless attracted a huge devoted following on the BBC2 show. |
| It is also not unusual for a show’s ratings to fall away after the launch programme which typically attracts most press attention. | It is also not unusual for a show’s ratings to fall away after the launch programme which typically attracts most press attention. |
| Nevertheless, to dip below 3 million viewers for just its second episode will have warning lights flashing within the BBC. | Nevertheless, to dip below 3 million viewers for just its second episode will have warning lights flashing within the BBC. |
| The second episode increased its audience during its hour on air, ending with a five-minute peak of 3.3 million. The BBC said it also performed above BBC2’s slot average of 2.6 million. | The second episode increased its audience during its hour on air, ending with a five-minute peak of 3.3 million. The BBC said it also performed above BBC2’s slot average of 2.6 million. |
| Press scrutiny may have intensified in recent weeks but the show’s gestation had already suffered a series of mishaps, including executive producer Lisa Clark’s premature exit and the PR disaster of Matt LeBlanc and rally driver Ken Block performing “doughnuts” close to London’s Cenotaph war memorial. | Press scrutiny may have intensified in recent weeks but the show’s gestation had already suffered a series of mishaps, including executive producer Lisa Clark’s premature exit and the PR disaster of Matt LeBlanc and rally driver Ken Block performing “doughnuts” close to London’s Cenotaph war memorial. |
| It is unusual for a BBC2 show generating the sort of audiences Top Gear has historically attracted not to switch to BBC1. | It is unusual for a BBC2 show generating the sort of audiences Top Gear has historically attracted not to switch to BBC1. |
| The move was always resisted by Jeremy Clarkson, and his replacement by Chris Evans led insiders to suggest a change of channels was now more likely. If the ratings carry on this way, BBC1 won’t want it. | The move was always resisted by Jeremy Clarkson, and his replacement by Chris Evans led insiders to suggest a change of channels was now more likely. If the ratings carry on this way, BBC1 won’t want it. |