Chris Evans' Top Gear viewing figures plummet to all-time low

Fewer than 2 million people tuned in to watch the finale

(BBC)

Things are not looking good for Top Gear as ratings slump to a record low. The sixth episode of the Chris Evans hosted show drew fewer than 2 million viewers, lower than any episode from Clarkson, May and Hammond’s stint as presenters.

According to the overnight viewing figures, the season finale was watched by just 1.9 million people on Sunday night, fewer than half who watched the ‘revamped’ show’s debut (4.3 million).

The low turnout was likely due to the France-Iceland football match taking place at the same time, as well as remarkably good weather.

Of course, these viewing figures do not include iPlayer, the BBC’s streaming service which will no doubt allow more petrol-heads to catch up on the show.

However, these new viewing figures will act as another blow for the show, which has already been highly criticised by many and led to reports that Evans may be forced to step down as host.

Before Top Gear aired, Evans said that if he drew fewer than 5 million viewers, he would be disappointed with the results. Meanwhile, Clarkson’s show never fell below 2 million viewers.

With consolidated viewing, things should look more optimistic for Evans, yet - even when you include these numbers - the fourth episode of the show was watched less than The Great British Spelling Bee. In other news, we’ve rounded up what did (and didn't) work on this year’s Top Gear.