Friends star Matt LeBlanc’s Top Gear role

American actor and ‘petrolhead’ Matt LeBlanc is to present new Top Gear alongside Chris Evans.

The fastest-ever Star in a Reasonably Priced Car (he set an as-yet unbeaten lap time of 1m 42.1s in the Kia cee’d) will first be seen on screen in May when the new series premieres.

“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,” said Matt. “What a thrill!”

The 48-year-old is best known for his role as Joey in long-running US sitcom Friends, where he starred alongside Jennifer Aniston and Courtney Cox.

Chris Evans added: “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.”