Top Gear: Matt LeBlanc 'not sure' he'll return to BBC show

The actor was promoting his new sitcom Man with a Plan, which he said was his 'priority'

LeBlanc is expected to return as the sole host of Top Gear following Chris Evans's departure (BBC World Wide/Jeff Spicer)

Matt LeBlanc’s return to Top Gear remains in doubt, the Friends actor told reporters at an event in Los Angeles on Wednesday.

“I’m not sure what’s happening with Top Gear just yet,” LeBlanc said, during a panel for his new CBS sitcom Man with a Plan at the Television Critics Association (TCA) press tour, adding that the CBS series was his “priority”.

LeBlanc and Chris Evans were paired up as hosts of the recently rebooted BBC car show following the departure of Jeremy Clarkson and co-hosts James May and Richard Hammond.

But Evans announced his exit in July after one series, amid disappointing viewer figures, lukewarm reviews and reports of friction behind the scenes.

LeBlanc – considered by many to be the best thing about the new Top Gear line-up – was expected to return for the next series as a solo host, backed up by regular contributors. But according to Variety, LeBlanc said on Wednesday that he didn’t yet know whether that would happen. “I’d like to,” he said. “There’s nothing officially happening just yet — call the BBC.”

In Man with a Plan, the 49-year-old plays a building contractor who agrees to become more involved in raising his children when his wife returns to work. The show is reportedly shooting on the CBS soundstage next door to another sitcom, The Odd Couple, starring LeBlanc’s former Friends co-star Matthew Perry.

“I saw him yesterday,” LeBlanc said at the TCA panel. “I love that guy.”