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New Clarkson-less Top Gear will premiere on May 8th

New Clarkson-less Top Gear will premiere on May 8th

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Host Chris Evans says first inter-continental trip will cross the US

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We've been hearing a lot about Amazon's new big-budget car show with former Top Gear presenters Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May, but what about the future of the BBC show itself? New host Chris Evans revealed this weekend in an interview on BBC1's Saturday Kitchen that Top Gear proper will return to television on May 8th, 2016, according to The Guardian. That's just three days after shooting for the 23rd season of the legendary show is planned to wrap up, according to Evans.

The British TV and radio host signed a three-year deal this past summer to helm Top Gear after the BBC chose not to renew Clarkson's contract following a "fracas" with a producer. Fellow hosts Hammond and May left shortly thereafter, and the three signed a blockbuster deal with Amazon to produce a similar show for the retailer's Prime Instant Video service. Shooting has begun for that new show, which is yet to be named, and it's expected to hit the web in mid 2016.

Little is known about the new Top Gear, though Evans previously said that the show would abandon the three-host layout that was so successful with Clarkson, Hammond, and May. "We are going to do things differently, because we have to, we want to," he said. It's not clear if Evans will truly handle hosting duties solo, or if he'll get a co-host. There will be an inter-continental North American special, however; at least one of the 16 episodes will take place in the US, Evans revealed this weekend.