It doesn’t pay to be rude, people. That’s what Top Gear‘s Chris Evans is about to learn should co-host Matt LeBlanc get his way. According to emerging reports, LeBlanc is threatening to hightail it out of one of BBC’s most popular properties should the show fail to sack co-host Chris Evans in the near future. Behind-the-scenes sources say that Evans is “tyrannical” and difficult to film with on a day-to-day basis. Which sounds like such a magnificent work environment to be a part of, to be sure.
Firing another host so soon after Jeremy Clarkson departed the show might not be something the show can afford right now, but neither is keeping a host around who is actively pissing off everybody else on set. LeBlanc has been getting good feedback as host, so this might come down to who the show’s higher-ups have more loyalty to and who they think could carry episodes with yet another new host by their side best. Speculatively, that person is most likely LeBlanc which makes his threat to quit a very real and weighted threat. An Executive Producer already quit over Evans’ behavior so if Matt follows her it would mark a clear trend.
While ratings have declined this series, the show is still immensely popular by BBC standards and a marquee show for the company. A complete cratering of the audience because two hosts are in a televised Civil War is not the situation the BBC wants to find itself in, so caving in to LeBlanc’s demands may be their only option if they want anyone to show up to film the next series. After all, they can’t be sure the next host that comes along will be able to stand working with Evans either.
(via The Telegraph UK)
