Matt LeBlanc signs £2million Top Gear hosting deal as BBC panics over losing Bake Off to Channel 4
THE Beeb caved in to LeBlanc's pay demands after offering presenting role to Paul Hollywood to persuade him to stay with the channel
WORRIED BBC bosses have finally signed Matt LeBlanc up to Top Gear on a £2million two-year deal.
The former Friends star, 49, had been negotiating with the broadcaster to be the new sole host for months after his one-series contract expired in June.
But panic-stricken BBC TV Controller Charlotte Moore, 48, caved into his pay demands and agreed to work around filming of his US sitcom after losing Bake Off to rivals Channel 4.
The new deal will also see the majority of his pay being paid through its commercial business BBC Worldwide meaning he is the first star to sign up to a loophole preventing his salary being made public under the Government’s proposed White Paper changes.
An insider revealed: “Bake Off going to Channel 4 was a disaster and a real blow. Losing Matt because of a few diary arrangements would have spun Top gear into crisis yet again.
“Charlotte looks like she has really aged in the last couple of weeks and had even offered Paul Hollywood a role on Top Gear to try and get him to stay.
“In the end they just wanted to sign up Matt as he’s great with the fans and gives the show stability as it’s due to start filming within days.”
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Matt’s role on the show will see him replace main host Chris Evans, 50, who quit in July following fans' fury at his string of gaffes.
He will carry out the celebrity interviews and be helped out by Eddie Jordan, 68, Sabine Schmitz, 47, and motoring journalists Chris Harris, 41, and Rory Reid, 36.
Matt is currently filming NBC sitcom Man With a Plan in LA that sees him star as a struggling stay-at-home dad.
The revamped Top Gear suffered its lowest-ever ratings after Jeremy Clarkson, 56, James May, 53, and Richard Hammond, 46, quit the BBC for Amazon Prime quit the show last year.
Key producer Lisa Clark quit in December following bullying claims and the BBC were forced to send in factual entertainment chief Clare Pizey to wrestle back editorial control from Evans.
The ginger DJ was also forced into a humiliating apology for disrespecting veterans after donuts were carried out by stunt drivers leaving tyre marks around the Cenotaph War Memorial in Whitehall, central London.