Chris Evans recruits a car-studded line-up for punchy reboot of world’s biggest motoring entertainment show
Motorsport guru and Formula 1 commentator Eddie Jordan, world record-breaking German racing driver Sabine Schmitz, renowned motoring journalist and YouTube petrolhead Chris Harris, and car reviewer and TV presenter Rory Reid are today all confirmed to join Chris Evans and Matt LeBlanc for the eagerly awaited return of Top Gear.
The new team will cover the entire automotive spectrum and bring with them their own unique and very individual love of cars that will resonate with every type of Top Gear viewer from the family who enjoy the entertainment values of the show, to aspirational car lovers and fanatical petrolheads.
Formula 1 heavyweight Eddie Jordan comes armed with a trademark no-nonsense, richly experienced view of the motoring world, and life in general, which is guaranteed to be anything but boring. The colourful Dublin-born entrepreneur has flirted with cars all his life, and as owner of the former Jordan Grand Prix team gave many of the world’s most iconic drivers their first taste of the most powerful and loudest starting grid on the planet including Michael Schumacher, who made his debut for Jordan in 1991, and Eddie Irvine.
Sabine Schmitz, the legendary Queen of the Nurburgring, re-enters Top Gear folklore by becoming the show’s first female presenter in 15 years. Another familiar face to Top Gear viewers following her unforgettable appearances in series 5 and series 11, she has already completed some filming with Chris Evans in a sequence that will leave even the most hardened speed–demons gasping for breath when it debuts on TV (sick-bags not included!).
Motoring journalist Chris Harris, the man whose very name sends shivers through many car manufacturers’ boardrooms, comes armed with a self-confessed determination to cause mischief and tell viewers insightful things about automobiles they probably didn’t even think they needed to know.
And newcomer Rory Reid, who was recruited to Top Gear from the show’s 2015 public auditions, is an award-winning journalist, has launched and presented for CNET’s Car Tech channel, and also had a starring role in Sky 1’s Gadget Geeks series.
Chris Evans said of his new Top Gear gang: “We really do have a bit of everything for everyone. A fellow lifelong petrolhead from the other side of the pond in Matt; a fearless speed-demon in the irrepressible and effervescent Sabine; the encyclopedic, funny and wonderfully colourful character that is EJ; Chris, one of the world’s top no-nonsense car reviewers; and Rory, who simply blew me away in his audition and fully deserves his place on the team.”
Eddie Jordan said: “I’m giddy with excitement to be joining Chris and the team. I have such enormous respect for all my fellow presenters and I politely ask that they go easy on these old bones. Cars are in my DNA and although I’ve been fortunate enough to accomplish most things I ever aspired to in motorsport, presenting Top Gear is quite simply the icing on the cake.”
Chris Harris said: “Top Gear is the thing that helped shape my life with cars, my perception of cars and my obsession with cars, and I’m raring to give it a go. I’m also quite gobby and happy to get into trouble, so I’m hoping I can underpin the programme with journalistic credibility but still cause some mischief. And if it all goes wrong, well, I can say I was once on Top Gear, and just head back to being that annoying small bloke off YouTube.”
Sabine Schmitz added: “I grew up next to the Nurburgring, and have been racing for most of my life, so the chance to combine both driving and filming was too good an opportunity to pass up. I’ve appeared on Top Gear a few times in the past, so I know we’re going to have a lot of fun.”
Rory Reid commented: “When I submitted my 30-second audition tape, I knew the odds were very firmly against me, as the auditions were open to absolutely everybody. To be the only person to make it through the open audition process makes me immensely proud. I’ve been a Top Gear fan for decades, but more than that, I live and breathe cars in a way that is perfectly compatible with the show. I’m looking forward to bringing my brand of knowledge, energy and humour to what promises to be a very exciting new series.”
Top Gear returns this May to BBC Two and TV screens everywhere.
