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Los Angeles - Chris Evans thinks it was "unwise" to shoot the new series of Top Gear near the Cenotaph in central London.
The 49-year-old co-host has apologised "unreservedly" after images of Matt LeBlanc whizzing around Westminster, leaving tyre marks on streets surrounding the war memorial, were released over the weekend.
Speaking about the stunt on his BBC Radio 2 show Chris explained: "It doesn't matter what actually happened, it doesn't matter what the circumstances were that could explain this away, what is important about this is what these images look like and they look entirely disrespectful which is not and would never be the intention of the Top Gear team or Matt.
"On behalf of the Top Gear team and Matt, I would like to apologise unreservedly for what these images seem to portray. There have been some very incendiary comments written alongside these pictures and I completely understand this furore but the Top Gear team would never ever do that. Retrospectively it was unwise to be anywhere near the Cenotaph with this motor car."
The former Friends actor, 48, sparked uproar when he was seen hopping into a lavish Hoonicorn in Central London and raced alongside racing driver Ken Block before disrupting a wedding held at St Paul's Cathedral.
Good times. pic.twitter.com/znT27ptjJb
— Matt LeBlanc (@Matt_LeBlanc) March 13, 2016
Just cruising around Parliament square with a buddy pic.twitter.com/9zy93lDdLp
— Matt LeBlanc (@Matt_LeBlanc) March 13, 2016
The stunt was branded "disrespectful" by retired Colonel Richard Kemp and he claimed sacked host Jeremy Clarkson, who was dropped last year following a filming spat, would never have sunk so low for the show if he was still fronting the motoring programme.
He said: "This is a sacred tribute to millions of people who have done far more for their country than Chris Evans and Matt LeBlanc ever will.
"Jeremy Clarkson was certainly no saint but I don't believe he would have ever performed a stunt in such bad taste."
Top Gear returns to screens on 8 May.
