BBC

Matt LeBlanc replacing Jeremy Clarkson on Top Gear

Matt LeBlanc, a long-time car enthusiast and former star of the television sitcom Friends, will be the new Top Gear co-host beginning May 8. He will replace former controversial co-host Jeremy Clarkson on the BBC program. LeBlanc will the first non-British co-host of the program. He has hosted a special version of the program called Top Gear: The Races. The show’s executives said LeBlanc will help the program attractnew audiences of car enthusiasts. Top Gear has not been televised since March 2015 when Clarkson was fired after being accused of having an altercation with one of the producers, Oisin Tymon. Co-hosts James May and Richard Hammond quit when Clarkson’s contract was not renewed. Currently, all three are doing a new car

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Jeremy Clarkson driven to anger, gets fired from Top Gear

Jeremy Clarkson, the irreverent host of Top Gear, the immensely popular BBC automotive review program, has been fired for hitting a colleague while filming the show on location earlier in March. Tony Hall, the general director of the BBC, which produces the show, made the announcement. Hall, who said he’s a fan of Clarkson, detailed the decision was made after an investigation of the confrontation between Clarkson and the producer. Clarkson was originally suspended, but the BBC subsequently Clarkson’s contract will not be renewed. It was scheduled to expire at the end of March. Ken MacQuarrie, a BBC official, confirmed Clarkson hit producer Oisin Tymon and used “derogatory and abusive language.” MacQuarrie added the BBC needs “distinctive and different voices, but

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