BBC Announces New Top Gear Host

No use yelling shotgun — the seat for a new Top Gear presenter has just been filled.

British TV and radio personality Chris Evans will be the new lead host of Britain’s top TV motor show, the BBC announced on Tuesday. Evans, an auto enthusiast described by the network as “a huge fan” of Top Gear, signed a three-year deal.

Evans’ appointment comes after former presenter Jeremy Clarkson was canned in March following reports that alleged he punched a producer in the face during an altercation.

In a statement to BBC News, Evans acknowledged the “brilliant minds” who have created the show and the demands of making the “massively complicated come across as fun, devil-may-care and effortless.” Clarkson’s final appearance on the show will be June 28. The new version of Top Gear will start production over the next few weeks.