If Matt LeBlanc and his ‘Top Gear’ teammates feel any pressure to come up with the goods on their second series, they’re hiding it well.
The ‘Friends’ star turned popular rev-head had his fellow presenters Rory Reid and Chris Harris in stitches on their first day back at the track yesterday - their first day without Chris Evans at the helm of the reboot.
No word on quite what tickled them, with Matt only adding later: “It was kinda funny.”
The BBC will be relieved the see the team in such good spirits, after a troubled first series, which saw poor ratings and Chris Evans taking the brunt of the criticism before falling on his sword and resigning almost as the credits ran on the final episode.
Matt LeBlanc, by contrast, received praise for his wry contribution to the reboot, and has been moved centre-stage for this second series, with motoring journalists Chris and Rory also enjoying an expanded role.
Contributors Eddie Jordan and Sabine Schmitz will also be returning, but the burden for the new series will undoubtedly fall mostly on Matt’s shoulders.
Director of BBC Studios Mark Linsey said in September: “Matt was hugely popular with Top Gear viewers last series with his humour, warmth and obvious passion for cars and for the show, so I couldn’t be more delighted that he’s agreed to come back and do more for us.”