Matt Le Blanc Page 2

Although there were widespread reports of discontent between them during the filming of last year’s ‘Top Gear’ series, new sole host Matt LeBlanc has insisted that he had nothing to do with his former colleague Chris Evans getting the sack – instead only finding out when he read it in the papers.

Evans dramatically stepped down as ‘Top Gear’s co-host in July last year amid slipping viewing figures and rumours of behind-the-scenes disagreements with LeBlanc, despite having initially penned a three-year deal.

Matt LeBlanc and Chris Evans in February 2016

Continue reading: Matt LeBlanc Says He Found Out About Chris Evans' 'Top Gear' Departure From The Papers

It’s safe to say that the first press shots and trailer for the upcoming new series of ‘Top Gear’, the first to be helmed by Matt LeBlanc without Chris Evans, have met with a divisive reception.

The BBC Two show released an image of LeBlanc with the programme’s new co-hosts, Rory Reid and Chris Harris, on Tuesday (February 14th) ahead of the return of ‘Top Gear’ in early March. In the background, The Stig can be seen, with helicopters and rockets overhead.

Continue reading: New 'Top Gear' Trailer Divides Fans

Matt LeBlanc has signed a new two-series deal to present ‘Top Gear’, following the departure of co-host Chris Evans. LeBlanc was warmly received by viewers when he debuted earlier this year and BBC bosses are said to have been keen to keep him after the recent ‘Great British Bake Off’ debacle.

Matt LeBlanc will be retuning as the host of 'Top Gear'

News of LeBlanc’s new deal was confirmed by BBC editor Patrick Holland, who said: "I am thrilled that Matt LeBlanc is returning to Top Gear. He's a huge talent whose love of cars is infectious. I can't wait for the series to return to BBC Two next year."

Continue reading: Matt LeBlanc Signs Two Series Deal With BBC To Host 'Top Gear'

TV presenter James Martin has fuelled rumours that he could be the new host of ‘Top Gear’ following the departure of Chris Evans. Speaking to The Sun, Martin didn't deny he was in the running for the job and even admitted he’s aware that he is now one of the bookies' favourites to replace Evans.

Could James Martin be your new ‘Top Gear’ host?

“Apparently I’m the bookies’ favourite,” he told the newspaper. “I walked past a bookies in Leeds and saw my name on there, and I thought: ‘What the hell’s going on there?’ I was top of the list. But the phone hasn’t rung yet.”

Continue reading: James Martin Fuels Rumours He Could Be Set To Join 'Top Gear'

‘Top Gear’ and ‘Extra Gear’ presenter Rory Reid has said he was surprised at the level of hostility directed towards the show when Chris Evans took over as host. The presenter likened joining the show to being ‘parachuted into a war’, but said overall it was intense but rewarding experience.

Rory Reid was part of ‘Top Gear’s’ revamped line-up.

“It’s been a very intense experience – intense is probably the best word. Way more involved than I ever thought any show could be. The level of scrutiny that the show is under has just been absolutely immense,” he told Redbull.com.

Continue reading: Rory Reid: Joining 'Top Gear' Was Like "Being Parachuted Into A War"

Chris Evans dedicated his BBC Radio 2 Breakfast Show on Tuesday morning (July 5) to his former ‘Top Gear’ colleagues, telling them to ‘move on’ without him. Evans stepped down as host yesterday after just one series, which was plagued by bad reviews and low ratings.

Chris Evans has told his ‘Top Gear’ colleagues to ‘move on’.

Evans told listeners: "Today's show is dedicated to all the 'Top Gear' gang. And today's show is entitled Breathe In, Breathe Out, Move On.” The presenter then went on to look at the day’s newspaper front pages, many of which featured his resignation.

Continue reading: Chris Evans Dedicates Radio Show To Former 'Top Gear' Colleagues

On Sunday night (July 3) the ‘revamped’ new series of ‘Top Gear’ came to an end, giving the troubled BBC show its lowest viewing figures yet. The series has come under fire from viewers since it’s debut back in May, with host Chris Evans coming under particular criticism.

‘Top Gear’s’ ratings continue to fall for the final episode.

The Mirror reports that the show pulled in an audience of just 1.9 million on Sunday, as it went head-to-head with the Euro 2016 quarter final match between France and Iceland. Once again fans on Twitter were quick to criticise host Chris Evans, for his ‘shouty’ presenting style.

Continue reading: 'Top Gear' Series Ends With A New Ratings Low For Chris Evans And Team

‘Top Gear’ presenter Matt LeBlanc is reportedly ready to leave the show if co-host Chris Evans stays on. LeBlanc is thought to have already signed on for two more series of the BBC motoring show, but now bosses are left having to decide between the two presenters.

Matt LeBlanc is reportedly done with ‘Top Gear’ if Chris Evans stays on.

A show source told The Sun: “The big question now is who goes and who stays. The team does not gel at all, and the atmosphere between the presenters is decidedly frosty. It’s very much a picture of him – Chris – and them.”

Continue reading: Matt LeBlanc "Will Leave Top Gear" If Chris Evans Stays

The new series of ‘Top Gear’ has seen its ratings fall even further, to its lowest Sunday night audience in over a decade. The drop comes as fans seem to be warming more to the show, with one joke from Matt LeBlanc on Sunday receiving particular praise.

‘Top Gear’s’ ratings have fallen further.

According to overnight viewing figures from broadcast media ratings specialists, Overnights TV, last night’s show averaged just 2.3 million viewers. That meant the show had just 10.4 per cent of the Sunday night audience share.

Continue reading: 'Top Gear' Ratings Fall Further Despite Matt LeBlanc's Brexit Joke

British fans of ‘Friends’ trying to get their heads round the fact that their beloved sitcom ended over 10 years ago will be pleased to hear that David Schwimmer will be returning to Channel 4 for a new comedy series in 2016.

Schwimmer, who played Ross Geller in ten series of ‘Friends’ between 1994 and 2004, will be starring in a six-part series called ‘Morning Has Broken’. Created by Julia Davis, he’ll be playing the part of an American TV producer brought in to rescue a failing British daytime TV show that features Gail Sinclair, a self-styled ‘queen of daytime’ played by Davis herself.

David Schwimmer will be making a return to British TV screens in 'Morning Has Broken'

Continue reading: Former 'Friends' Star David Schwimmer Set For New Channel 4 Sitcom

London-based ‘Friends’ fans are in for a special treat next month as four-day festival celebrating the sitcom hits the capital. 'FriendsFest', which will take place at Brick Lane’s Boiler House will run from Wednesday 16th to Sunday 20th September and include original props and replica sets from the series.

Courteney Cox starred as Monica Gellar in the 90s sitcom.

The festival will feature a full scale replica of Monica’s apartment as well as a Central Perk themed cafe which will include its very own orange sofa for fans to get their groups photos on. There will also be a pop-up hair salon were you can go right back to the 90s with a Rachel Green inspired blow-dry

Continue reading: ‘Friends’ Set To Be Rebuilt In London For Festival Celebrating Sitcom

It's a good job Matt LeBlanc wasn't around in the old days! Although it is a great privilege to meet Prince William and Harry, the 'Friends' alumni didn't let this stop him from dropping the f-bomb on the royal family members.

LeBlanc met the royal duo at a polo game in England

While appearing on Conan O'Brien's TBS show on Tuesday night (Jan 13th), LeBlanc recalled meeting the two princes at a polo match in England, where he spends around three months a year shooting 'Episodes.'

Continue reading: Matt LeBlanc Recalls Telling Prince William And Harry To "F**k Off"

Brooke Shields has claimed her ex, former tennis player Andre Agassi, smashed his Wimbledon trophy along with other prize cups, in a jealous rage over her guest starring role in a 1995 episode of ‘Friends’.

Brooke Shields writes about her former marriage in new memoir

Writing in her autobiography, There Was A Little Girl: The Real Story Of Mother And Me, the actress recalls how her then boyfriend stormed off the set of the popular sitcom after watching her film scenes with Matt LeBlanc.

Continue reading: Brooke Shields Claims Ex Andre Agassi Broke Wimbledon Trophy In Jealous Rage Over 'Friends' Guest Spot

We’re feeling pretty nostalgic (and old) because it’s been ten years since the final episode of Friends aired. We’d sort of been getting by on the hope that a reunion episode would take place, but mean Matt LeBlanc ruined that dream. The actor, who played Joey, recently said: “That show was about a finite period of time in life, after college and before your relationship and family starts and where your friends are your support system. That’s what the magic of the show was - everyone goes through that and can relate to that.”

The cast of Friends with Jay Leno [Photo: Getty images]

That wasn’t the only magic that Friends had. The reason that the show was so popular for so long was a combination of a dozen or so factors that just worked. The chemistry between the cast was palpable, you could just tell that Jennifer Aniston and Courtney Cox were best friends in real life and that translated onto their onscreen friendship.

Continue reading: Just What Was It That Made 'Friends' So Great?

For 10 years Matt LeBlanc was a fixture on our television screens as Joey Tribbiani, one sixth of the world’s most famous ‘Friends’. But when the show ended in 2004 LeBlanc faced tough times, after his spin off series ‘Joey’ flopped, he fell into TV obscurity, retreating to his Santa Barbara ranch and shunning the spotlight. Then in 2011 Matt returned to our screens playing a fictionalised version of himself in ‘Episodes’ a role which has since earned him a Golden Globe award. But as familiar as face Matt is, how much do we really know about the actor, away from his famous ‘Friends’ role? Here’s five things you didn’t know about Matt LeBlanc before and after he found fame as Joey Tribbiani.

Matt LeBlanc played Joey for 10 seasons on 'Friends'

1. Before he was known as Joey on ‘Friends’ Matt was a regular feature on US television as ‘that guy from the Heinz ketchup commercial’. In 1987, Matt starred in an advert for the brand which used the ‘good things come to those who wait’ slogan. The advert was incredibly successful and went on to win one of the world's most prestigious advertising awards, a Gold Lion at the Cannes International Advertising Festival.

Continue reading: Matt LeBlanc: 5 Facts About The Man Best Known As Joey From ‘Friends’

With the news that television’s latest spin off ‘How I Met Your Dad’ has cast Greta Gerwig in the lead, the ‘How I Met Your Mother’ spin off might have a chance at being a successful example of the genre. However the writers and producers may want to look to a few other examples to see how to do the tricky spin off, right and wrong. 

Frasier remains one of the greatest sitcoms of all time.

Frasier

Continue reading: 'How I Met Your Dad' Take Note: The Best And Worst TV Spin Offs

The rumour of the Friends 2014 return is doing the rounds again and seems to be as unfounded as ever. Fake reunion movie and episode posters are once again circling the internet and simultaneously driving hardcore Friends fans wild as well as provoking a collective cry of "just let it go already!!"

The 'Friends' Reunion Rumours Seem To Be Unfounded For Now.

Fans of the show are divided into two camps: those who salivate at every tidbit of reunion gossip, ready to jump back on the sofa for those first jangly strains of 'I'll Be There For You,' and those who for whatever reason, feel the franchise is best left at its rather neat finale which aired in May 2004 and are perfectly content with their Burj Khalifa-rivalling skyscraper of all ten Friends box sets.

Continue reading: Friends 2014 Reunion Rumour Enrages Fans. Are We Doing This Again?

Did someone say “Friends reunion”? Technically, loads of people, but no one official. Sadly for all the devoted fans of the series (and there are definitely still a bunch of those around), the show’s co-creator Marta Kaufman has not only dismissed the current rumors, but she said a reunion of the 90s sitcom is never going to happen, Fox News reports. Well, that was a harsh letdown for everyone.

The buzz started earlier this week when reports surfaced that not only was a Friends reunion likely, but NBC had already confirmed the deal. There was even a photoshopped poster thrown into the mix, advertising “The One With The Reunion”, due to hit screens on Thanksgiving 2014. Kaufman, however, had this to say: “’Friends’ was about that time in your life when your friends are your family, and once you have a family, there’s no need anymore.”

According to her, now that the characters have families of their own, Ross, Rachel, Phoebe, Monica, Joey and Chandler are past their coffee shop days. Even the most devoted Friends fans can probably see how that makes sense, but the nostalgia still lives on. Warner Bros. also dismissed reports that a “Friends” movie was in development, telling Zap2it there is no “Friends”-related project being worked on by the studio. Harsh. But hey, maybe that means it's time for a re-watch.

Continue reading: 90s Kids Look Away Now: There Will Be No Friends Reunion.

Either Courteney Cox is really going all out to drum up support for season four of Cougar Town, or the TBS comedy-drama just became a whole lot more, well, adult. Speaking at the Television Critics Association panel for the show, Cox joked, "You will not see one scene that I don't show my boobs. You know what? I'm getting older, so I've decided at this point I'm taking less focus off the face, and focusing [on my chest]. By the time I'm much older, I will just be absolutely nude. I think it's gonna work for me, I hope."

Though the comments were taken as tongue-in-cheek, there may be truth in what the former Friends actress promised for Cougar Town. During an upcoming episode, the actress and on-screen love interest Josh Hopkins strip down during a "naked day" to spice up their marriage. "I did know in advance [but] I did not take advantage of the time I had to know," she told Us Weekly about preparing for the nude scenes. "Lighting is everything! I'm not kidding. You could walk into a room and go, 'Wow! I look great today.' And one step further, you're like, 'Oh my God, I look horrible!"

Only time will tell whether Cougar Town has maintained its popularity, though Cox has a couple of tricks up her sleeve as insurance should the ratings slip. She's already roped in her former Friends co-stars Lisa Kudrow and Jennifer Aniston in past seasons, though reveals she's working on doing something with Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry and David Schwimmer. "I'd love to see the rest of the cast," she said, adding, "I catch re-runs of Friends and I don't remember even being there. I'm like, 'That is funny!"