The danger was that Top Gear would be too bland. Chris Evans' Cenotaph stunt has dealt with that

Ruffling the Establishment is just the reputation the show needs - especially if that means riling George Osborne as he prepares a fuel tax hike

Chris Evans replaced Jeremy Clarkson as lead presenter of the BBC's successful Top Gear.

There’s a tendency to regard furore over Top Gear’s antics at the Cenotaph as a signal that the show is careering out of control. It was even suggested to me that the latest scandal, which supposedly angered the Chancellor George Osborne, was a bungle too far and that the BBC should not even bother to proceed with Top Gear’s re-launch in May.

I would argue it's quite the opposite. The danger for Top Gear, post Jeremy Clarkson, is that it will appear too bland. Clarkson has been masterful at making the show notorious. With producer Andy Wilman he has been the Barnum and Bailey of motoring TV. His distasteful use of politically incorrect language has all been part of Top Gear’s naughty schoolboy identity.

New presenter Chris Evans might have a past as a hell-raising bad boy of broadcasting, when he hosted deliberately risqué 1990s shows like Channel 4’s Don’t Forget Your Toothbrush. But his interview schtick for many years has been one of a mellow middle-aged man brought to his senses by the joys of parenthood. These days, you feel, there’s no danger of him forgetting his toothbrush – he will be tucked up in bed nice and early ready for his breakfast show on Radio 2.

And that job, along with his large and loyal audience of Middle England listeners, makes him every bit a pillar of the BBC. There’s not much sense of rebellion there. His co-star Matt LeBlanc is best-known as his alter-ego Joey from Friends, a likeable and well-meaning clutz who only caused chaos through his dopey bungling. Not an obvious source of Clarkson-style mischief.

For weeks, The Sun newspaper has been characterising the new Top Gear team as being as goofy as Joey. We have heard of turmoil among the backroom staff and failure to hire chosen presenters. With Clarkson being a Sun columnist, it’s no surprise that the paper gets inside information.

Today it splashed on the show filming at the Cenotaph with the headline “Clot Gear” and an editorial claiming the programme’s bosses were “halfwits” who had no respect. One Tory MP called for heads to roll. George Osborne tweeted that he was trying to “write my Budget”, and called on Evans to “keep it down please”.

Fairly obviously this was light-hearted comment meant to demonstrate a connection to popular culture. But any suggestion that Top Gear has ruffled the Establishment is just the reputation it needs. Especially if that means riling Osborne as he plans to put up fuel tax.

After seeing the photos of the tyre marks in front of Big Ben, petrolheads will be twitching with excitement at the prospect of seeing wheels-pins in Whitehall and doughnuts performed outside Parliament.

Instead of sticking it to The Stig’s new colleagues, The Sun has done them a favour. Clarkson, writing in the Sunday Times at the weekend, shocked his Brexit-backing Sun colleagues by saying he was in favour of staying in the European Union. So maybe they were giving him a punch on the nose?