BBC presenter’s first series ends with fewer viewers than any episode in the Jeremy Clarkson era

This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

Chris Evans’ Top Gear hit a new ratings low for its series finale on Sunday, finishing with fewer than 2 million viewers, lower than any episode in the Jeremy Clarkson era.



The sixth episode of the first post-Clarkson series drew 1.9 million viewers from 8pm on Sunday, nearly 1 million viewers down on the previous week and less than half its launch overnight audience of 4.3 million.

No episode in the programme’s Clarkson era, beginning in 2002, had fewer than 2 million viewers.

Top Gear: the verdict on the first post-Clarkson season Read more

Last night’s audience may have suffered as a result of the good weather and ITV’s coverage of France’s 5-2 Euro 2016 quarter final win over Iceland.

But it is another blow for the BBC2 show, last year estimated as the BBC’s most valuable global property, generating £50m a year for its commercial arm, BBC Worldwide.

Evans’ reinvention of Top Gear has suffered a mauling at the hands of many critics, but appeared to be winning some of them over in recent weeks.



Last night’s audience is below the previous record overnight low of 2.3 million just two weeks ago.

Evans said before the programme’s launch that he would be “disappointed” if he drew fewer than 5 million viewers.



Even recording people who recorded it and watch it over the next seven days, the series finale is unlikely to have many more than half of that figure.

Top Gear’s Sunday night audience averaged 2.7 million across the six episodes of the new series.

Its average consolidated audience will be higher, but the fourth episode of the new series, even including catch-up viewing, was beaten by another BBC2 show, The Great British Spelling Bee.

For most of the Clarkson era it was rare, even unthinkable, for Top Gear not to be BBC2’s biggest show in its week of transmission.