Much Of New Top Gear’s First Studio Audience Left Early And ‘Unimpressed’

We’re just a few days away from finally finding out what Top Gear will be like post-Clarkson, and there are yet more newspaper reports that suggest things aren’t going entirely according to plan. Last week saw the filming of the revamped show’s first studio segment, and according to The Independent, it over-ran massively.

Proceedings were supposed to wrap up by around 4pm, but when shooting continued (reportedly, filming eventually ran into the evening), much of the audience began to leave, apparently “unimpressed” with Chris Evans and Matt LeBlanc’s attempts to keep everyone entertained. Multiple takes and fluffed lines from the duo apparently caused the delay, with Evans struggling particularly with the Stig’s introduction. Audience members were also not allowed to take phones or recording devices to the studio - a first for Top Gear filming.

The Sun meanwhile alleges that Evans lost his patience and ranted at the audience: “Don’t fold your arms, don’t wear black. Take it off – take everything off….Don’t fold your arms, don’t have your hands in your pockets. F***, f***, f***, f***, f***.” The BBC rubbished the claims, with BBC Studios Director Mark Linsey stating: “We don’t recognise the Sun’s account of Top Gear’s first studio recording on Thursday…Chris and Matt were consummate professionals throughout. From the audience’s reaction they were clearly much loved.”

Evans apparently seemed much more comfortable during the celebrity interview stage, where he spoke to Jesse Eisenberg and Gordon Ramsey. Previous reports claimed that the first guest was supposed to be Brad Pitt, but the actor cancelled at the last minute.