Today, the BBC announced that Matt LeBlanc—best known as Joey from the sitcom Friends—is joining the cast of Top Gear alongside Chris Evans. Although the full cast is yet to be confirmed, it's widely believed that Evans and LeBlanc will be joined by car journalist Chris Harris and German racing driver Sabine Schmitz. And if the picture on Top Gear's website is anything to go by, The Stig will be back in May of this year as well.

LeBlanc has proper car credentials, too. He was the fastest "Star in a Reasonably Priced Car" on Top Gear and is a frequent sight in the paddock club at Formula 1 races. According to Top Gear's website, further cast announcements are due soon—Harris has just announced he's closed his Patreon, if any more clues are needed.

Hiring LeBlanc is a smart move by the BBC. The previous incarnation of the show had to work hard to create global appeal but did so successfully, earning a lot of money for the corporation along the way. With Clarkson et al. off to Amazon, LeBlanc gives the new version some star appeal beyond Evans (who is unknown in the US).