Chris Evans | |
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Evans in 2010
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Born |
Christopher James Evans 1 April 1966 Warrington, Lancashire, England |
Residence | Ascot, Berkshire, England |
Nationality | British |
Education |
Boteler Grammar School Padgate High School |
Occupation | Television producer, Radio producer, Disc Jockey, Businessman, Television presenter, Voice actor |
Years active | 1983–present |
Employer | BBC |
Net worth | £55 million (estimated) |
Television |
The Big Breakfast (1994–96) Don't Forget Your Toothbrush (1994–95) TFI Friday (1996–2000; 2015) The One Show (2010–15) Top Gear (2016) |
Spouse(s) |
Carol McGiffin (m. 1991–98) Billie Piper (m. 2001–07) Natasha Shishmanian (m. 2007) |
Children | 3 |
Relatives |
Thom Evans (cousin) Max Evans (cousin) |
Website | BBC Radio 2 Breakfast Show |
Christopher James "Chris" Evans (born 1 April 1966) is an English presenter, businessman and producer for radio and television. He started his broadcasting career working for Piccadilly Radio, Manchester, as a teenager, before moving to London as a presenter for the BBC's Greater London Radio and then Channel 4 television, where The Big Breakfast made him a star. Soon he was able to dictate highly favourable terms, allowing him to broadcast on competing radio and TV stations. Slots like the Radio 1 Breakfast Show and TFI Friday provided a mix of celebrity interviews, music and comic games, delivered in an irreverent style that attracted high ratings, though often also generated significant numbers of complaints. By 2000 he was the UK's highest paid entertainer, according to the Sunday Times Rich List.
In 2005, he started a new career on BBC Radio 2, hosting the long-running Drivetime programme, before moving in 2010 to host The Chris Evans Breakfast Show every weekday morning. He previously presented The One Show on Fridays between 2010 and 2015.
In 2015, he signed a three-year deal to lead a new Top Gear line-up. On 23 June 2015 it was confirmed that TFI Friday would return for its seventh series with eight episodes in December 2015. Evans confirmed that he would also return to present it. It was then revealed that the BBC Top Gear team told Evans he would have to leave TFI Friday after the upcoming series if he intended to stay with Top Gear. On 4 July 2016 Evans announced that he would be stepping down as presenter of Top Gear.
As of 2017 he continues to present the popular BBC Radio 2 Breakfast Show.
Evans was born in Warrington, Lancashire, England, the youngest child of bookmaker and health authority wages clerk Martin Joseph Evans (1921–1979), and Minnie Beardsall, who managed a corner shop. His siblings are brother David (born 1953) and sister Diane (born 1963). He started his schooling at St Margaret's Church of England Infants and Junior School, and later the Junior School in Orford, Warrington. Evans' father and both paternal uncles died of colorectal cancer. Evans' mother is a breast cancer survivor.