Chris Evans finally has a reason to celebrate, as the viewing figures for 'Top Gear' have risen for the first time this series.
Ratings for his rebooted version of the BBC Two motoring series had been experiencing week-on-week declines since it launched last month, plummeting to just 2.3 million viewers last Sunday (19 June), which marked a 10-year low for the show.
However, last night's episode managed to pull in an additional 400,000 viewers, with 2.7m tuning in.
The show, which featured appearances from 'Absolutely Fabulous' star Jennifer Saunders and 'Great British Bake Off' judge Paul Hollywood, peaked with 3m and a 12.5% audience share.
Chris Evans recently defended the show's ratings, insisting that overnight figures “could not be less relevant” in the current climate of TV.
But he was singing a very different tune before the series returned, when he admitted he’d be “disappointed” if ‘Top Gear’ drew in fewer than five million viewers when it returned to screens.
It was recently claimed Matt LeBlanc had issued 'Top Gear‘ bosses with an ultimatum, reportedly telling them he would quit the show unless Chris Evans was sacked.
The Sun has claimed Matt has grown increasingly tired of Chris’ behaviour and attitude towards him and the rest of the presenting team on set, with a source telling the paper: “Matt has already indicated that he won’t continue on any further series if Chris remains a part of it. And he is far from the only one who isn’t happy.”
'Top Gear' continues on Sunday at 8pm on BBC Two.