Matthew Steven Le Blanc, the 50 year old American actor and host of Top Gear, has confirmed his exit from the show.
Matt Le Blanc, famous for playing Joey Tribbiani in the NBC sitcom Friends, tweeted that the 26-th season would be the last he would be a part of. He also conveyed that he is a big fan of the program and would enjoy seeing the show as it moves forward without him.
Awhile he had been contemplating retirement, insisting that he was 'tired' and needed something new to do in his life.
The Joey actor was brought in to fill the boots of the show's previous hosts, when the unfortunate scandal involving the ex-host Jeremy Clarkson forced him and his co-hosts to bid adieu to the show they had been a part of for many years.
The first season in the post-Clarkson era received negative reviews after Chris Evans, the screaming co-host of Le Blanc, garnered universal disapproval. Evans had to subsequently quit the show, and You Tubers Chris Harris and Rory Reid joined Le Blanc as his co-hosts.
During those years, they redeemed the stalled motoring show. The audience approval was never quite as high as it once was, but the popularity steadily increased, and showed great promise.
As Matt Le Blanc stated, he probably was a bit worn out and needed to spend more time with his family. He has had a packed career spanning more than thirty years, and earns millions in a year without moving a muscle, thanks to his residual paychecks from the iconic show, Friends.
The post-Clarkson era of Top Gear has not enjoyed the audience approval as much as its predecessor did. In particular, the British audience has been scathing in its criticism of the show, pointing out the lack of chemistry between the new hosts. They also miss the fun and frolic of the old boys, who cooked up controversies with a devil-may-care attitude over those successful years.
The domestic audience doesn't have two opinions regarding the lack of comedy. The newer version stands no chance when it comes to the brutal, sarcastic trolls the old one had. I am a big fan of Jezza and boys. This is not to discredit the new boys, who had their moments. They had some big boots to fill and chemistry between the hosts can't be built overnight. As they say, Rome wasn't built in a day.
The biggest argument, the lack of comedy, is quite unreasonable, because, the show never should be about humor. It is a motoring show, for God's sake! I mean, I am fine with the show's underlying motif being humor, but if you are so desperate about the lack of it, you should watch Le Blanc's other famous gig.
The puritans, the real petrol heads never found the switch from a humorous atmosphere to a more serious one uncomfortable. I know this for a fact:There are people in the audience who can't stand the controversial and outspoken man who his co-hosts, James May and Richard Hammond, refer to as a shaved ape.
Matt Le Blanc singlehandedly gave the show a fresh lease of life when it was reeling from the absence of the iconic presenters it once had. The sinking ship was steadied and revived. If the previous season was any indication, the next one should be a cracker of a season. Only time will tell if his decision was a well judged one.
Thank you, Joey, for driving our dream cars for all these years.
Matt Le Blanc, famous for playing Joey Tribbiani in the NBC sitcom Friends, tweeted that the 26-th season would be the last he would be a part of. He also conveyed that he is a big fan of the program and would enjoy seeing the show as it moves forward without him.
Awhile he had been contemplating retirement, insisting that he was 'tired' and needed something new to do in his life.
Photo credits: Todd Anthony/BBC
"The time commitment and extensive travel required to present Top Gear takes me away from my family and friends more than I’m comfortable with."
The Joey actor was brought in to fill the boots of the show's previous hosts, when the unfortunate scandal involving the ex-host Jeremy Clarkson forced him and his co-hosts to bid adieu to the show they had been a part of for many years.
The first season in the post-Clarkson era received negative reviews after Chris Evans, the screaming co-host of Le Blanc, garnered universal disapproval. Evans had to subsequently quit the show, and You Tubers Chris Harris and Rory Reid joined Le Blanc as his co-hosts.
During those years, they redeemed the stalled motoring show. The audience approval was never quite as high as it once was, but the popularity steadily increased, and showed great promise.
Side
As Matt Le Blanc stated, he probably was a bit worn out and needed to spend more time with his family. He has had a packed career spanning more than thirty years, and earns millions in a year without moving a muscle, thanks to his residual paychecks from the iconic show, Friends.
The post-Clarkson era of Top Gear has not enjoyed the audience approval as much as its predecessor did. In particular, the British audience has been scathing in its criticism of the show, pointing out the lack of chemistry between the new hosts. They also miss the fun and frolic of the old boys, who cooked up controversies with a devil-may-care attitude over those successful years.
The domestic audience doesn't have two opinions regarding the lack of comedy. The newer version stands no chance when it comes to the brutal, sarcastic trolls the old one had. I am a big fan of Jezza and boys. This is not to discredit the new boys, who had their moments. They had some big boots to fill and chemistry between the hosts can't be built overnight. As they say, Rome wasn't built in a day.
Flip Side
The biggest argument, the lack of comedy, is quite unreasonable, because, the show never should be about humor. It is a motoring show, for God's sake! I mean, I am fine with the show's underlying motif being humor, but if you are so desperate about the lack of it, you should watch Le Blanc's other famous gig.
The puritans, the real petrol heads never found the switch from a humorous atmosphere to a more serious one uncomfortable. I know this for a fact:There are people in the audience who can't stand the controversial and outspoken man who his co-hosts, James May and Richard Hammond, refer to as a shaved ape.
Matt Le Blanc singlehandedly gave the show a fresh lease of life when it was reeling from the absence of the iconic presenters it once had. The sinking ship was steadied and revived. If the previous season was any indication, the next one should be a cracker of a season. Only time will tell if his decision was a well judged one.
Thank you, Joey, for driving our dream cars for all these years.
About author
Pranav PS is a third year engineering student from Trivandrum. An incurable petrol-head,he has unconventional takes on all subjects. You can reach him at pspranav10@gmail.com
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