Former Formula One team owner Eddie Jordan is set to join Chris Evans and Matt LeBlanc as a presenter on Top Gear.
Jordan, a close and longstanding friend of Evans, is understood to be close to finalising a contract to join the new-look BBC2 motoring show.
The 67-year old has been part of the BBC’s Formula One presenting team alongside David Coulthard, who Evans was also keen to bring on board.
However, Channel 4’s move to snap up the Formula One has freed up Jordan, although the broadcaster did move to sign Coulthard which eliminated him from potentially joining Top Gear.
An insider said Evans and Jordan had known each other for decades and his expert knowledge would be a major asset for the show.
The BBC declined to comment but it is understood that a deal is almost certain to be finalised in the coming days.
Jordan may now have to join Evans and LeBlanc and pack his bags to head to South Africa – with a possible stopover in Liverpool – as the team embark on a whirlwind series of pit stops across the globe to film the new-look Top Gear.
Speaking on Evans’ Radio 2 breakfast show the Friends star said he already had someone house hunting in the UK on his behalf as he prepared to join the production team on a tight schedule to get the BBC2 show on-air by early May.
First stop in the international filming schedule is Africa where the pair will fly to early next month.
“I need to get you a visa for South Africa,” said Evans.
LeBlanc replied: “I have a question for you, do I get the frequent flyer miles?”
However, there is a good chance that Jordan and LeBlanc’s first official Top Gear appearance will be in Liverpool later this month.
They may well be roped in alongside Evans to appear at the BBC’s biggest annual event to make a crucial pitch to promote the new Top Gear show to hundreds of international television buyers.
The BBC is next week due to confirm German racing driver Sabine Schmitz and motoring journalist Chris Harris as Top Gear presenters, which could make the Liverpool event the first outing of the full new-look presenting team.
The corporation held open auditions to fill the vacancies left by the departure of Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May, and it is thought that a member of the public will also join the team in some form of role on the show.
LeBlanc is thought to be on a £500,000 salary with more than half of that to be paid for by BBC Worldwide, the commercial arm of the BBC.
The move will help to deflect any criticism that the licence fee-funded BBC should not be paying top dollar for expensive stars at the same time it is seeking to make £550m in cuts.
As part of the deal LeBlanc will be required to promote Top Gear internationally as the corporation looks to maintain, or even improve, global sales of the £50m franchise.
It is not yet clear if LeBlanc, Jordan and Evans will be required to appear in Top Gear’s global live tour.
A BBC Worldwide spokesman said: “We are keeping the Top Gear brand in the live events business”.
The BBC said that Top Gear’s UK base would remain at Dunsfold Aerodrome, near Cranleigh in Surrey, albeit with a major makeover.
However, it has emerged that the owners of the airfield have lodged an application to build 1,800 homes on the site.
LeBlanc told Evans that he was amazed at the response the announcement that he is joining Top Gear caused in the US media.
“I knew Top Gear was a big show,” he said. “But, wow, I was on the front page of the New York Times. There was so much I couldn’t read it all. Thanks to Top Gear and the BBC my day has been ducking paparazzi.”
The positive publicity will be a welcome boost for the BBC after a string of negative stories including the departure of Top Gear’s executive producer and script editor.
It is also likely to irk ex-Top Gear star Jeremy Clarkson, who is making a rival show for Amazon with his former co-hosts Richard Hammond and James May, who has remained uncharacteristically quiet on social media following the announcement.
Presenter Piers Morgan tweeted that LeBlanc was a “brilliant choice” and a man who “knows his cars & has huge global recognition”.
The 48-year old LeBlanc fuelled the publicity streak in his chat with Evans by likening their new partnership to “Joey and Chandler”, a reference to the on-screen lads’ relationship he had with former Friends co-star Matthew Perry, who is currently in the capital in the play The End of Longing.
“I’m so honoured and thrilled. I can’t wait to get going,” he said. “I think we’re going to have a great time and I couldn’t think of a better guy to do it with. You and I are going to have a lot of fun.”
He said he had already been contacted by friends wanting to appear on the show, including Formula One driver Romain Grosjean and “crazy, competitive lunatic” Stephen Mangan.
LeBlanc co-stars with Mangan in BBC2 comedy Episodes, which is due to start filming of the fifth series in tandem with Top Gear in April.
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