It Sounds Like The New Top Gear Is Completely Falling Apart

The team filming the new Top Gear was always going to have a tough act to follow. Jeremy Clarkson and friends had built the biggest television show the world had ever seen, so when Chris Evans took over he was under a lot of pressure to do something different and do it well.

According to reports in The Sun, the show’s team have struggled to put a show together. The main problem seems to arise from the fact that the BBC want new Top Gear to be as safe as possible and not court controversy in the way the old show did. This has resulted in bosses ‘meddling’ with production and not giving Chris Evans the freedom he desires.

It’s no secret that the show’s rebirth has hit some hurdles. Last month it was reported that executive producer Lisa Clark and script editor Tom Ford had both quit the show following news Chris Harris and Sabine Schmitz could take up roles as presenters.

BBC 2 controller Kim Shillinglaw is apparently making life difficult for the teams, as she will not let crews get too carried away with themselves, much to the frustration of “control freak” Evans.

An ‘insider’ told The Sun:

“Kim has been central to everything that is happening. Generally, she has a reputation as a meddler.

“The show has had to become a lot more PC following the Clarkson row. There is less leeway to do out-there stuff and Kim has become a bit of a nightmare.”

Other issues include:

• Chris Evans crashed a brand new Jaguar on his first day at the Top Gear test track
• The presenter has also refused to give up his other presenting gigs on television and radio
• The production team doesn’t know anything about cars, meaning TG magazine staff have had to come in to help
• Evans is apparently terrible at pre-recorded films, which make up the majority of Top Gear’s run time

It’s safe to say the new Top Gear has had a rocky start, but that was to be expected given the pressure the team is under. That said, this sounds like a complete farce. Amazon Prime must be jumping with glee right now.