The Ratings Are In. New Top Gear Bombed.

by Gregson Mathe 31 May, 2016, 5:56 pm 248 Views 3 Comments

So new Top Gear, led by Chris Evans and Matt LeBlanc, pulled in a whopping 4.4 million views according to a report by the BBC. A pretty good number until you start to unravel the layers this onion holds.

First off, Evans has said that he’d be “disappointed” with any number that was south of 5 million viewers. Well that happened and the peak viewership wasn’t great either with 4.7 million. It should be noted that even though many will tell you that it takes time to bring a show up to speed and to have chemistry and that Clarkson, Hammond, and May TG took a while to get going, they also started from nothing. This new crew has been handed a brand that is the most recognized automotive show in the world.

Next, Evans went on to Twitter spouting “FACTS” that were actually very factual, but weren’t very impressive when dissected.

The new Top Gear is a hit. OFFICIALLY. 23 % audience share. 12% MORE than the opening episode of the last series. These are the FACTS.

— Chris Evans (@achrisevans) May 30, 2016

Top Gear audience grew throughout the hour. FACT. Won its slot. FACT. Still number one on i Player. FACT. These are THE FACTS folks.

— Chris Evans (@achrisevans) May 30, 2016

Lastly, it’s also important to see where the last iteration left off ratings wise with the old boys. News flash, they were still winning.

Top Gear returned to our screens with Chris Evans and Matt LeBlanc at the helm- but fans of the show turned off as it attracted its lowest opening show viewing figures in a decade and was widely panned on social media.

The show drew 4.4 million viewers, with a peak of 4.7 million, while the last series with Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May bowed out with 5.8 million viewers.

It was Top Gear’s lowest rated show in a decade.

All in all, this shouldn’t be considered a flop, but it should be a big wake up call to Evans and the whole crew that this is going to take work and not be a walk in the park. You have to earn it.

(Sources: The Telegraph and Twitter)