BBC presenter says programme dedicated to ‘Top Gear gang’ and it is time to ‘breathe in, breathe out and move on’

This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

Chris Evans dedicated his Radio 2 breakfast show to “all the Top Gear gang” the morning after he dramatically resigned from the BBC2 motoring show.

Reading out the front-page stories from the newspapers about his unexpected departure, the presenter said it was “all true”.

His first song was Free’s All Right Now, perhaps an indication of his state of mind following 12 months of intense pressure trying to reinvent Top Gear following the axing of Jeremy Clarkson.

Evans said on Monday he had given the show his “best shot” but admitted it wasn’t good enough after falling ratings and a mauling by many critics.

There were rich pickings for listeners who wanted to read something into the songs he played on Tuesday morning.

Another tune was Eurythmics’ Thorn In My Side. Evans was reported to have had a difficult relationship with Top Gear co-presenter Matt LeBlanc but the two have have denied it.

Evans, who always dedicates his show to a particular topic, said on Tuesday it was “dedicated to all the Top Gear gang. Breathe in, breathe out, move on”.



Evans has said he will carry on with the Radio 2 breakfast show, the most popular in the country with nearly 10 million listeners a week.

Evans compared the blanket front-page coverage in the newspapers of his decision to quit with another high-profile resignation on Monday which found itself relegated to the inside pages. “Of course there was a much more important resignation that doesn’t make the front pages, Nigel Farage,” said the presenter.

