Matt LeBlanc's car breaks down as Top Gear starts filming

Matt LeBlanc in the car that broke down on his first day filming Top Gear. Photo/Top Gear

Top Gear fans were left in a spin when former Friends star Matt LeBlanc broke down in a retail outlet car park.

Stunned members of the public spotted LeBlanc's Reliant Robin, clad in the stars-and-stripes, after it made an unplanned pit stop part-way through the motor show's London to Blackpool challenge.

The eye-catching three-wheeler convertible was spotted near the KFC fastfood outlet on the Orbital Retail Park in Cannock, Staffordshire, on Friday evening.

LeBlanc and his co-host Chris Evans, driving a Reliant Robin emblazoned with Union Flag paintwork, were mobbed by fans keen to grab a selfie and a photo with the stars of the revamped BBC show.

Among them were sisters 16-year-old Megan and Macy, aged 12, who both got a picture with LeBlanc.

Their mother Claire Raddie said she got an excited call from her eldest daughter who was working in a chemist nearby, but did not initially believe the news.

Convinced, she then took her youngest daughter down to the car park where LeBlanc was happy to pose for pictures.

#MattLeBlanc Totally unexpected but thank you so much for making my daughters day/year pic.twitter.com/VC8VER0oFS

— Claire Raddie (@claireraddie) February 19, 2016

Raddie, aged 39, of Cannock, thanked the star on Twitter, saying: "Sorry for the breakdown but you've made my two daughters very happy in Cannock!"

She added: "Totally unexpected but thank you so much."

The 48-year-old ex-Friends star was revealed among the programme's new line-up of hosts earlier this month.The Top Gear duo kicked off filming for the first episode of the new series with a 370 kilometre road trip to Blackpool, setting off from BBC's Broadcasting House in London on Saturday.

Also joining the line-up are Formula 1 commentator Eddie Jordan, German racing driver Sabine Schmitz, motoring journalist Chris Harris and car reviewer Rory Reid.

LeBlanc tweeted ahead of filming, calling the Top Gear crew a "great group of lunatics" and adding: "We start filming in the morning. I'm pumped."

Met the @BBC_TopGear crew today. What a great group of lunatics. We start filming in the morning. I'm pumped.

— Matt LeBlanc (@Matt_LeBlanc) February 18, 2016

- PAA