Friends Reunion 2016: Former "Friends" star Matt LeBlanc has been revealed as one of the new presenters of BBC motoring show "Top Gear."
"As a car nut and a massive fan of Top Gear, I'm honoured and excited to be a part of this iconic show's new chapter. What a thrill." LeBlanc said:
Chris Evans took over after Jeremy Clarkson's exit
"Matt's a lifelong fellow petrolhead and I'm thrilled he's joining Top Gear. Acting out our craziest car notions on screen is a dream job and I know we'll both be debating some epic road trip ideas. We can't wait to share what we've been up to on screen later this year," Evans said.
Top Gear fans will recall LeBlanc's previous appearances on the show, then presented by Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May. In 2012 he set the fastest-ever lap in show's "Star in a Reasonably Priced Car" segment, which features celebrities driving around a race track in a Kia C'eed. He reappeared in the following series to test the new Kia cee'd against its predecessor, drove The Stig around in a McLaren MP4-12C, and recently presented the standalone spin-off Top Gear: The Races.
Matthew Perry is in London for rehearsals of his playwriting debut, "The End of Longing." The play begins previews on February 2 at the Playhouse Theatre.
All six members of the "Friends" cast - Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matthew Perry, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer - will appear in a two-hour special dedicated to James Burrows, a veteran comedy director whose portfolio includes "Cheers," "Taxi," "Mary Tyler Moore," "The Bob Newhart Show" "Laverne & Shirley," "Frasier," "Will & Grace" and "The Big Bang Theory."
Friends co-creator Marta Kaufman has been saying that a Friends reunion is "not happening" for the past two years. She will also be there at NBC's James Burrows special.
"It's not a 'Friends' reunion. I will be there, but it is not a 'Friends' reunion," Kauffman told reporters at the Television Critics Association press tour in Pasadena, Calif.
Variety asked about a possible friends reunion in other medium.
"Why? I mean, for me, why go back to that territory?" she said.
"I get to do what I loved about 'Friends' which is make a show that's got some hope and joy to it, and explore something completely new. That was about a certain time in your life and I just had left the 'Friends' time of my life. This is the time in my life that I'm looking toward. It's thrilling that we can do that."
