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Matt LeBlanc

'Friends' star Matt LeBlanc to co-host 'Top Gear'

Jane Onyanga-Omara
USA TODAY

Corrections and clarifications: An earlier version of this story misreported the network that carries Fifth Gear. The show airs on Britain's Channel Five.

LONDON — U.S. actor Matt LeBlanc will be joining the motoring show Top Gear, the BBC announced Thursday.

Matt LeBlanc attends the Miss Golden Globe InStyle Party held at Ysabel on Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2015, in West Hollywood, Calif.

In a statement, the broadcaster said LeBlanc will be the first non-British host in the program’s 39-year history.

The actor, best known for his role as dimwitted struggling actor Joey Tribbiani in Friends, will present the show with British radio host Chris Evans.

LeBlanc has appeared on the program twice as a guest and holds bragging rights as the the fastest star to race around the track in a reasonably priced car. He also presented a spin-off called Top Gear: The Races, a capsule show highlighting some of the show's epic clashes of cars versus other forms of transportation.

“As a car nut and a massive fan of Top Gear, I'm honored and excited to be a part of this iconic show’s new chapter. What a thrill!” LeBlanc said in a statement carried by the program-makers.

LeBlanc already spends part of his year in Britain shooting and promoting the Showtime comedy Episodes, for which he won a Golden Globe for playing a fictional version of himself. That show is expected to return for at least one more season, though it's not clear when.

Britain's Channel Four couldn't resist poking fun at the news with a Friends-related casting gag.

Other new Top Gear presenters will be confirmed shortly, the BBC said, adding that the show is expected return to TV screens in May.

Last year, the BBC announced it would not renew controversial former Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson's contract, after he was allegedly verbally and physically abusive to one of the show's producers.

Clarkson later signed a deal for a new car show with Amazon Instant Video, along with his two former co-presenters Richard Hammond and James May.

'Top Gear' producer sues Jeremy Clarkson, BBC

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