Chris Evans has announced he is stepping down as host of the BBC's car show Top Gear, saying he "gave it my best shot".
The TV series has suffered from poor ratings with the most recent episode aired last night reaching an average of 1.9 million viewers. In contrast, ITV's Euro 2016 coverage atracted an average of 6.6 million viewers.
Top Gear averaged 2.7 million across the six episodes of the new series, well down on any figures recorded during Jeremy Clarkson's time presenting the programme.
Stepping down from Top Gear. Gave it my best shot but sometimes that's not enough. The team are beyond brilliant, I wish them all the best.
— Chris Evans (@achrisevans) July 4, 2016
He added: "Full steam ahead then with Radio 2, CarFest, Children In Need, 500 Words and whatever else we can dream up in the future."
In a statement, he said: "I have never worked with a more committed and driven team than the team I have worked with over the last 12 months. I feel like my standing aside is the single best thing I can now do to help the cause.
"I remain a huge fan of the show, always have been, always will be. I will continue to focus on my radio show and the allied events that it encompasses."
Mark Linsey, director of BBC Studio's, said: "Chris is stepping down from his duties on Top Gear. He says he gave it his best shot doing everything he could to make the show a success.
"He firmly believes that the right people remain, on both the production team and presenting team, to take the show forward and make it the hit we want it to be."
New Top Gear host announced. pic.twitter.com/Cew4J9lXx2
— Rodney Edwards (@rodneyedwards) July 4, 2016
The motoring show has struggled to attract viewers since Evans took the wheel.
Evans and co-presenters including Matt LeBlanc and Sabine Schmitz replaced Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond, who all left the BBC after Clarkson was fired for a "fracas" with a producer.
Sunday's finale of the rebooted first series, which featured Hollywood actor Patrick Dempsey, drew an average of 1.9 million people and an 8.7% share of the available viewing audience, according to audience measurement organisation BARB.
The final episode lost out to ITV's coverage of Euro 2016, but audience figures have been low throughout the series.
Over the last six weeks, Top Gear has struggled to make an impact in the overnights - the figures for the previous day's viewing.
It launched over a Bank Holiday weekend with 4.4 million viewers on May 29.
Top Gear's second episode then plummeted to 2.8 million, and the show never went back above that figure.
The show has failed to reach the viewing figures of the last series with Clarkson, Hammond and May at the helm.
The former Top Gear presenters bowed out with 5.8 million viewers, and will premiere their new Amazon Prime show The Grand Tour in the autumn.
