Chris Evans has sensationally announced he is quitting
Top Gear just hours after police revealed he will be investigated over allegations he sexually assaulted a woman in the 1990s.
The presenter, 50, revealed on Twitter that he would not be returning to the revamped motoring programme, after the series ended with a record low audience as fewer than two million people tuned in.
He wrote: '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.'
Evans added: 'Full steam ahead then with Radio 2, CarFest, Children In Need, 500 Words and whatever else we can dream up in the future.'
The shock announcement that Evans is to quit the show after just one series came just hours after the Metropolitan Police confirmed in a statement that a woman had made an allegation of 'non-recent sexual assault, said to have taken place in the Tower Hamlets area of London in the 1990s.
In a statement, he added: '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 Studios, 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.