Chris Evans named as one of the new Top Gear presenters

Chris Evans has been named as the lead presenter of an all-new Top Gear line-up, the BBC has announced. He will replace Jeremy Clarkson who was fired from the show in March following an altercation with a producer whilst out on location. Jeremy Clarkson's co-hosts Richard Hammond and James May will also not be involved with the new show.

Chris Evans said: "I promise I will do everything I possibly can to respect what has gone on before and take the show forward."

Controller of BBC Two and BBC Four Kim Shillinglaw said she was "delighted" that Chris Evans would be presenting the new version of Top Gear.

She added: "His knowledge of and passion for cars are well known, and combined with his sheer inventiveness and cheeky unpredictability, he is the perfect choice to take our much-loved show into the future. Chris is a huge fan of Top Gear and has great respect for the craft and work ethic of one of the best production teams in the world. He knows the phenomenal attention to detail it takes to make a single sequence of Top Gear, let alone a whole series. He is already full of brilliant ideas and I can't wait for him to get started."