Chris Evans risks becoming the David Moyes to Jeremy Clarkson’s Alex Ferguson if he fails to find his own style on Top Gear, according to ITV’s former entertainment chief.

Mark Wells said Evans had a tough job following a personality like Clarkson, who had made such a mark hosting Top Gear. He likened the show’s new host to Moyes, who lasted just 10 months after replacing Ferguson, who was Manchester United’s most successful manager.

He told Radio 4’s Media Show: “There is a danger he looks like a David Moyes to an Alex Ferguson when you are following a figure such as Clarkson.

“He really needs to find his voice. There is this constant criticism he sounds a bit like Clarkson ... I think that’s unwise. I would try and persuade Chris to pull back a bit.”

Wells, who in his time at ITV oversaw shows such as Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway, and The Paul O’Grady Show, said that Evans and co-Host Matt Leblanc needed to develop a chemistry to match their predecessors on the show.

“I suspect that is at the root of the problem,” he said. “Jeremy, Richard [Hammond] and James [May] developed this relationship over time. That is missing at the moment.

“They have been thrown together and expected to have this chemistry. That’s going to take some time to evolve.”

He added that Evans was not “naturally” funny but had been when provided with great script writing, such as Danny Baker’s work on TFI Friday.

The first episode of Top Gear received lukewarm reviews, and attracted a live audience of 4.4 million on Sunday night, well below the 5 million Evans had told the Guardian he wanted to avoid being “disappointed”. However, the show has done well on catch-up and had racked up more than a million views on iPlayer by lunchtime the following Tuesday.

Many reviewers criticised the show for sticking to the original format too closely, with Evans taking on some of Clarkson’s catch phrases and mannerisms.

Also speaking on the Media Show, Mark Linssey, who is head of BBC production arm BBC Studios, said the show would change but there was a desire not to alienate fans.

“It will evolve and change as the series goes on but definitely we wanted to be faithful to a much loved show by the viewers,” he said.

Asked about the notorious incident where co-host Matt Le Blanc was photographed shooting a scene near the cenotaph war memorial in London, he added: “If we were to do it again we would rethink that.”