Matt LeBlanc is to leave Top Gear after the next series, BBC Studios has announced.

The actor thanked the team for “a great drive” and said he was leaving the motoring show to spend more time with his family and friends.

“My experience on Top Gear has been great fun. I have thoroughly enjoyed working with the whole team,” LeBlanc said. “However, the time commitment and extensive travel required to present Top Gear takes me away from my family and friends more than I’m comfortable with.

“It’s unfortunate, but for these reasons I will not be continuing my involvement with the show. I will for ever be a Top Gear fan and I wish the team continued success. Thanks for a great drive.”

LeBlanc and Chris Evans presented the 23rd series of Top Gear after Jeremy Clarkson was dropped from the show in 2015 over what the BBC called an “unprovoked physical attack” on a producer.

The revamped show also featured a host of recurring co-presenters, but Evans quit at the end of the series amid falling ratings and heavy criticism.

LeBlanc, best known for his role in the sitcom Friends, presented the next two series with Chris Harris and Rory Reid after signing a two-year extension deal.

Patrick Holland, the controller of BBC Two, paid tribute to the “fabulous” LeBlanc and thanked him for being a “brilliant” co-host.

“Matt has thrown himself into the show with real passion, revealing his extraordinary car knowledge and a willingness to get down and dirty,” he said. “We were always going to be borrowing him from his day job as one of the top comic actors in Hollywood, so I wish him all the very best.

“The next series of Top Gear, Matt’s last, promises to be something very special and we have great plans to welcome a new co-host to join the team for 2019 and beyond.”