Matt LeBlanc (kathclick/Bigstock.com)
A new trailer has further whetted the appetites of Top Gear fans in the UK, having aired between EastEnders and MasterChef on May 5.
The 40-second clip opens with Chris Evans and Matt Leblanc shrouded in cagoules in a drizzly Blackpool, as the city’s mayor welcomes the duo.
The trailer then cuts to some of the sun-soaked locations that the TG team have visited while filming the all-new series, which will air later this month.
Guests featured in the clip include Tinie Tempah, Texas singer Sharleen Spiteri, and Seasick Steve.
Backed by the 1994 hit Staying Out for the Summer by Dodgy, the trailer suggests a familiar mix of high-octane automotive action and humour.
This is the third trailer released by the BBC to mark the return of Top Gear, one of the Corporation's biggest exports. Indeed, it isn’t only UK viewers who got to enjoy the new trailer. A version cut with BBC America branding has also been released.
While tabloid stories have talked up friction between the new show’s presenters – and questioned Chris Evans’ ability to work on his radio breakfast show and Top Gear – such issues are certainly not reflected in the upbeat, fun trailers that have been put out so far.
Top Gear fans around the world wait with baited breath to see if the chemistry between Evans and Leblanc matches that of the outgoing trio of presenters: Clarkson, Hammond and May.
A rival show featuring the previous hosts will air on Amazon Prime in autumn.