The twenty-fourth series of Top Gear was aired during 2017 on BBC Two and consisted of seven episodes, beginning on 5 March and concluding on 23 April; due to the BBC airing live coverage of the Masters Tournament on 9 April, the series took a break between the fifth and sixth episode. Following the departure of Chris Evans as one of the show's lead hosts in series 23, series 24 saw Matt LeBlanc being joined by Chris Harris and Rory Reid as his co-hosts for the show, alongside The Stig, with occasional appearances by both Sabine Schmitz and Eddie Jordan. The series saw some revamping of the show's studio, logo, and opening titles, and the return of its previous celebrity format, though with some minor changes which included a faster car than those previously used on the programme.
Production
Following the mixed to negative feedback for the previous series from critics and viewers, and the resignation of Chris Evans, the show underwent a revamp, with the creation of a brand new studio, complete with new seats, a racing tyre designed table and new screens, along with a brand new logo design and opening titles. In addition, along with continuing to host BBC Three companion show, Extra Gear, the BBC decided to reassign both Chris Harris and Rory Reid as Top Gears main hosts alongside Matt LeBlanc. In February 2017, it was confirmed that comedian George Lewis would be joining the spin-off programme as a presenter alongside Harris and Reid. It was also announced that the format of the Star in a Reasonably Priced Car segment would return for Series 24, after the BBC dropped the controversial Star in a Rally-Cross Car segment that had replaced it due to the negative feedback it received. As the previous car for the segment, the Vauxhall Astra Tech Line, had been sent back to Vauxhall and auctioned off for charity, a brand new car was provided for the segment, the Toyota GT86, leading to the segment being renamed as Star in a Reasonably Fast Car.
Marketing
On 4 February 2017, BBC Two began showcasing trailers for the new series, with the caption "Top Gear: Coming Soon". On 24 February, Top Gear's official Twitter page confirmed that the twenty-fourth series would premiere on 5 March 2017, broadcasting seven weekly episodes.
