Two Names In The Running To Replace Chris Evans On Top Gear?

It might seem to many that Matt Leblanc is set to take the reigns of Top Gear as the lead presenter, and why shouldn’t he right? He’s got star power and with the Chris Evans departure, he’ll get new writers that hopefully won’t make things so awkward. But according to two rumors, the BBC might be looking to replace Evans after all.

James Martin and Dermot O’Leary are two names that are being floated by online journals saying they may have a shot or have even expressed interest in becoming the new lead man on the show. And why not right? TG is a massive, global brand that would send anyone soaring to new heights, just as long as the fans didn’t find them awkward or in any way Chris-Evans-like. These two might be good candidates for the gig.

A couple of weeks ago, Chris Evans announced that he was set to step down from his presenting duties on the revamped version of Top Gear on the BBC.

At the moment, it is looking like former Friends actor Matt LeBlanc will take on the main hosting duties on the show. He did of course co-present the previous series of Top Gear alongside Chris Evans, but he may take more of a central role on next year’s series… or could he?

Could Dermot O’Leary – one of the busiest and highest paid men in the industry – be presenting alongside Matt next year?

Derm is a well-known face at the BBC, and we’re sure the BBC would jump at the chance of having him present the show, but it seems as though it’s Dermot himself who has ruled out the possibility.

Speaking to Digital Spy recently, Dermot revealed that Top Gear isn’t one of those shows that he’s look at and envied whoever is presenting it.

We’re not buying that one bit. Any presenter, especially an auto enthusiast, would jump at that chance. But what about James Martin? He might be an even more likely candidate.

The popular Saturday Kitchen presenter is understood to have expressed an interest in fronting Top Gear before Chris Evans was named as lead host and has been identified as a potential new presenter now there’s a vacancy.

Martin is a well known motoring enthusiast and is now freed from his Saturday morning responsibilities, which is understood to have been a factor in him failing to land the Top Gear job.

“The BBC wanted him to carry on doing Saturday Kitchen and he couldn’t have done Top Gear because some of the filming was done at weekends,” said a source.

But now that the Sunday Kitchen committment is over, Martin could pounce on the gig and get on the show after all. Only time will tell if either of these two well known TV presenters gets the gig or if they even attempt to. All we know is, they are more than likely INFINITELY better than last season’s alternative.

(Sources: Unreality TV and Radio Times)