Top Gear presenter Rory Reid addresses controversy over old gun photo: 'It was from clay pigeon shooting'

'Clay pigeon shooting is NOT gangster'

From right to left: Reid, Schmitz, Le Blanc, Evans, Harris, Jordan and The Stig (BBC)

The newly appointed presenter of Top Gear, Rory Reid, has set the record straight on an old picture he apparently took on a team building exercise.

Reid, who will join Chris Evans, Matt Le Blanc, Sabine Schmitz, Eddie Jordan and Chris Harris in replacing Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May, addressed his 5,000 followers on Twitter after a photo of him began circulating the internet.

Reid, who has previously presented on a YouTube channel and was the editor-in-chief of an online car review site, shared a picture of himself holding two large guns and said it was from a “team building clay pigeon shooting" which is "NOT gangster”.

The picture is from 2012 and was picked up from his Facebook page by various media outlets after he was confirmed to appear on the popular BBC programme.

Reid is the only member of the new format who was selected through open auditions, which he said makes him “immensely proud”. After news of his inclusion was revealed he jokingly told Twitter it was just a “standard Thursday” for him.

He later thanked everyone for their supportive messages as he continues with his career move.