Photo: topgear.co.uk
Late last year, the new Top Gear show received the kind of Christmas present it probably didn't ask for and it clearly didn't need: Lisa Clark, the woman who stood in for Andy Wilman as the show's executive producer after the latter left with the old team, quit her job.
She was a close friend of Chris Evans, the new main host, and since her departure, there was a noticeable power void that several BBC employees have tried to fill one way or another. With Chris Evans not taking kindly to any sort of interference, especially one that wasn't mandated by a clear position, the show went through some pretty rough patches early this year.
In the meantime, the group of presenters appears to have been set in stone - and, my, aren't they a bunch: Chris Evans, obviously, Sabine Schmidt, Chris Harris (with two Chrises on the set, somebody's going to be called by his nickname), Matt LeBlanc (yes, Joey from Friends, even though he might resent being called that a little) and another guy named Rory Read who you're excused if you don't know that much about. Oh, and Eddie Jordan is also supposed to feature regularly.
Just recently, BBC has also managed to shed some light on how the show will be run and who will be doing what. Most notably, the new Top Gear format will do without an executive producer per se, but Clare Pizey, the head of factual entertainment for BBC, has been given the "editorial lead" position.
BBC hasn't forgotten about Chris Evans either, so The Guardian tells us he's now credited as Top Gear's "creative lead." The way we see it, the power struggles are far from over, unless Evans and Pizey develop the kind of chemistry that Clarkson and Wilman had. On the other hand, the latter two were friends since childhood, so there's very little chance of that repeating. But with May approaching rapidly, the team has to find a way of making the show great again. Because the public won't settle for anything else.
In the meantime, the group of presenters appears to have been set in stone - and, my, aren't they a bunch: Chris Evans, obviously, Sabine Schmidt, Chris Harris (with two Chrises on the set, somebody's going to be called by his nickname), Matt LeBlanc (yes, Joey from Friends, even though he might resent being called that a little) and another guy named Rory Read who you're excused if you don't know that much about. Oh, and Eddie Jordan is also supposed to feature regularly.
Just recently, BBC has also managed to shed some light on how the show will be run and who will be doing what. Most notably, the new Top Gear format will do without an executive producer per se, but Clare Pizey, the head of factual entertainment for BBC, has been given the "editorial lead" position.
BBC hasn't forgotten about Chris Evans either, so The Guardian tells us he's now credited as Top Gear's "creative lead." The way we see it, the power struggles are far from over, unless Evans and Pizey develop the kind of chemistry that Clarkson and Wilman had. On the other hand, the latter two were friends since childhood, so there's very little chance of that repeating. But with May approaching rapidly, the team has to find a way of making the show great again. Because the public won't settle for anything else.
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