Ex-Friends star Matt LeBlanc has officially been announced as one of the new hosts joining Chris Evans on the revamped Top Gear.

The BBC announced the news via the Top Gear website and on social media this morning, and LeBlanc will present the reformatted motoring show when it returns on May 8th.

Matt said: “As a car nut and a massive fan of Top Gear, I’m honoured and excited to be a part of this iconic show’s new chapter. What a thrill!”

LeBlanc will be no stranger to Top Gear fans after being the fastest-ever Star in a Reasonably Priced Car, having famously set as as-yet unmatched lap time of 1m 42.1s in the Kia Cee’d.

Likewise, he’s also previously appeared on the US version of Top Gear, driven with The Stig in a McLaren MP4-12C and recently presented standalone spin-off show Top Gear: The Races.

Of his new co-presenter, Evans said: “Matt’s a lifelong fellow petrolhead and I’m thrilled he’s joining Top Gear. Acting out our craziest car notions on screen is a dream job and I know we’ll both be debating some epic road trip ideas.”

“We can’t wait to share what we’ve been up to on screen later this year,” he added.

Best known as his role as Joey from the hit sitcom Friends, the 48-year old will be the first non-British Top Gear host in the show's 39-year history.

The BBC said that it would announce additional Top Gear cast members shortly, though it’s expected that Evans and LeBlanc will be joined by German racing driver Sabine Schmitz and journalist Chris Harris.