Matt LeBlanc got off to a bumpy start on his first day of Top Gear filming on Friday, when the Reliant Robin he was driving broke down in a retail car park.
Stunned fans of the BBC Two show saw the Friends actor's stars-and-stripes-emblazoned three-wheeler make an unscheduled pit-stop at the Orbital Retail Park in Cannock, Staffordshire on Friday evening.
LeBlanc had been filming the show's London to Blackpool challenge with host Chris Evans driving a Reliant Robin emblazoned with Union Flag paintwork.
@Matt_LeBlanc in Blackpool! Never thought I'd say that 😱 pic.twitter.com/qSD6m4Eq91
— Amy (@MissAmyDayx) February 20, 2016
It’s all smiles for @matt_leBlanc’s first day at work, but it's 230+ miles to Blackpool. Without a roof. In Britain. pic.twitter.com/l9zp4EWhB1
— Top Gear (@BBC_TopGear) February 19, 2016
The duo were mobbed by fans for photos. When a fan tweeted Evans on Saturday to tell him he was "front page news in Cannock", the presenter replied: "Yes!"
@Matt_LeBlanc - you've made the news in cannock :-) Thanks so much for letting us have a photo with you xxx pic.twitter.com/hoVNlXr8eL
— louise (@FruityFreda) February 20, 2016
Yes ! https://t.co/vktj6WXeeV
— Chris Evans (@achrisevans) February 20, 2016
Top Gear is due to return to BBC Two in May with Formula 1 commentator Eddie Jordan, German racing driver Sabine Schmitz, motoring journalist Chris Harris and car reviewer Rory Reid also part of the revamped line-up.
The new Top Gear team
LeBlanc tweeted on Thursday that he had met the Top Gear crew for the first time that day, describing them as "a great group of lunatics".
Met the @BBC_TopGear crew today. What a great group of lunatics. We start filming in the morning. I'm pumped.
— Matt LeBlanc (@Matt_LeBlanc) February 18, 2016
