Ian West/PA Wire/AP ImagesTop Gear has a new host!
British TV and radio personality Chris Evans has been named the new host of the long-running U.K. automotive show, according to the BBC. Evans will replace former host Jeremy Clarkson, who left the car show back in March.
Evans announced the news on Twitter earlier today, writing, "First tweet as new Top Gear host. I would like to say Jeremy, Richard & James are the greatest. And NO I'm not leaving the R2 Breakfast Show."
"I promise I will do everything I possibly can to respect what has gone on before and take the show forward," he also told local media.
First tweet as new Top Gear host. I would like to say Jeremy, Richard & James are the greatest. And NO I'm not leaving the R2 Breakfast Show
? Chris Evans (@achrisevans) June 16, 2015"I am so delighted that Chris will be presenting the next series of Top Gear," BBC exec Kim Shillinglaw said in a statement Tuesday. "His knowledge of and passion for cars are well-known and combined with his sheer inventiveness and cheeky unpredictability, he is the perfect choice to take our much-loved show into the future. Chris is a huge fan of Top Gear and has great respect for the craft and work ethic of one of the best production teams in the world. He knows the phenomenal attention to detail it takes to make a single sequence of Top Gear, let alone a whole series. He is already full of brilliant ideas and I can't wait for him to get started."
Clarkson was suspended indefinitely back in March after butting heads with BBC producers. "Following a fracas with a BBC producer, Jeremy Clarkson has been suspended pending an investigation," read the BBC's statement. "No one else has been suspended. Top Gear will not be broadcast this Sunday. The BBC will be making no further comment at this time."