WATCH: Matt LeBlanc went ‘full Joey’ on Top Gear last night and it was truly cringeworthy

How you doin'?

A Chris Evans-less Top Gear returned to our screens on Sunday night and it is fair to say that the initial reaction from viewers was generally positive. Unlike most outrageously expensive high-profile shows, you do get the feeling that fans are actually desperate for it to be good, rather than being eager to see it fail. In the stead of Evans - or indeed Clarkson, May and Hammond - there was Rory Reid, Chris Harris and host Matt LeBlanc. The trio were largely greeted to our screens with a lot of good will and warmth judging from the reception to the first show back on social media... https://twitter.com/AmyB8930/status/838482297775095808 https://twitter.com/richardosman/status/838492033669033985 https://twitter.com/Peter_H_Todd/status/838493701320151045 https://twitter.com/82rebeccagood/status/838490469726359553 Of course, the praise was never going to be universal. There are still some mean-spirited try-hard bastards out there who refuse to see the good in anything that is remotely popular or mainstream... https://twitter.com/BeardedGenius/status/838490105161601024 But it did seem as though the studio repartee was a tad rehearsed and even a little forced. LeBlanc in particular seemed to revert in order to help the show harvest some laughs. The former Friends star has an easy charm and is naturally likeable, but the producers of the motoring programme cast him in an all too familiar role. There were a number of times when the former Friends star went into full Joey Tribbiani mode - except without the stellar scriptwriters from days of yore. Most obviously in this cringeworthy to and fro that landed like a lead balloon... https://twitter.com/BeardedGenius/status/838490905900433408 It all seemed far too familiar to many. Perhaps just leave Joey in the past and just let Matt be Matt... https://twitter.com/b00z/status/838531371761025024 https://twitter.com/10tabish/status/838498371321069568 https://twitter.com/MFaarup/status/838492276422758401 https://twitter.com/ImtiaazButt/status/838494295942393856 https://twitter.com/manujugs/status/838492244101455872 https://twitter.com/kishermes/status/838492950871097345 https://twitter.com/ItsAaronYaKnow/status/838491422667976706 https://twitter.com/Jonas_VH/status/838500253850558465