Matt LeBlanc has said he faced his share of criticism from “armchair quarterbacks” when he stepped behind the wheel of Top Gear but that he just wanted to take the show forwards.
The former Friends star took over the BBC Two motoring programme alongside Chris Evans after the departure of hosts Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May.
He told Radio Times: “I read some things on social media like: ‘Go home Yank’, ‘You Suck’, ‘Eff you’, ‘Eff this’, ‘Eff that’.
“They’re like armchair quarterbacks out there.
“But as a production team we are interested in moving the show forward.”
Chris Evans (Yui Mok/PA)
Chris quit Top Gear after one series following plummeting ratings and poor reviews, saying he gave it his best shot but it was “not enough”.
But Matt, 49, insists he does not focus on how many people are tuning in.
“I look at the ratings, but I don’t dwell on them,” he said.
“My job is to make the best programme I have the ability to make.
“Once the show is broadcast it’s out of my hands, so the old saying, ‘Don’t worry about things out of your control’ works here.”
Matt LeBlanc (Roderick Fountain/BBC Worldwide/PA)
The programme returns for a new series in March, with Matt back in the driving seat and Chris Harris and Rory Reid joining him as co-hosts.
The US star said he hoped viewers could give the revamped show a chance.
“Top Gear seems to come with all these preconceived notions and baggage because it’s been so controversial over the years,” said Matt.
“I would like people to sit down and try to watch it with an unbiased mind and just give it a chance. Is it entertaining? Even if you don’t like cars – are you entertained by it?
“That’s what we’re setting out to do. A little bit of escapism.”
Asked whether that meant viewers should forget what they think they know, he said: “Yeah, possibly… but will people be able to do that? And give it a fair shot? I don’t know.
Your first extended look at all new #TopGear, coming 5 March. See you there pic.twitter.com/lYoYOtrWxR
— Top Gear (@BBC_TopGear) February 23, 2017
“Are people going to watch it with Friends in mind? I don’t know.
“You know people have things imprinted in their brain. It’s hard to sit down and watch it with an unbiased mind. I just don’t know if people are going to be able to do that. I hope so.”
The Radio Times is on sale on Tuesday.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article