Will the new Top Gear live up to Clarkson? The Stig doubts it

Host Matt LeBlanc waving to a bride and groom and their wedding guests at St Paul's Cathedral in London as he went past with rally driver Ken Block.

Co-host Matt LeBlanc and a professional driver performed stunts near the war memorial on Whitehall.

Speaking outside the BBC on Monday, Evans described the images as “terrible”.

“They look so disrespectful,” he said before adding that there are “mitigating circumstances”.

He continued: “I saw the images this morning for the first time and I felt the same as everybody else.”

But Perry McCarthy, The Stig in Top Gear from 2002-2003, told BBC Radio 5 Live he was disappointed Evans said the footage should not be shown - and suggested the new show would not live up to its prececessor.

McCarthy, 55, appeared on the show when it was hosted by Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May.

He said: “It’s a question of perspective. It’s a stunt. It brings the centre of London, a beautiful part of London and the Cenotaph, to a worldwide audience. It was a respectful distance away from it.”

Matt LeBlanc (centre) during filming of BBC Top Gear in Westminster, London.

He continued: “The one shared opinion we all have is what the Cenotaph is there for, who we are remembering. There is no problem there of course. But come on, lighten up everybody.”

When asked about the future direction of Top Gear, he said: “I don’t know if it’s going to be the same as (what) Jeremy brought to it.”