Christopher James Evans was born on 1 April 1966 in Warrington, Cheshire, England — April Fools’ Day. His father, Martin Joseph Evans, was a health authority wages clerk who died of colon cancer when Chris was just 13. His mother, Minnie (née Beardsall), managed a corner shop.Relatives include rugby players Thom and Max Evans. Bullied at school for his red hair, slight build, and spectacles, he nevertheless passed the Eleven-Plus exam and attended Boteler Grammar School, before moving to Padgate High School after his father’s death forced him to take part-time work at a newsagent and run a tuck shop. He left school at 16.

Evans started at Piccadilly Radio Manchester in 1983 as an unpaid schoolboy assistant to presenter Timmy Mallett. He held three jobs simultaneously until 1984, also DJing at local clubs and working part-time at a newsagent. He worked his way up to produce the “Night Train” programme (1987–1989), then moved to BBC Greater London Radio (GLR). His national breakthrough came co-hosting The Big Breakfast on Channel 4 from 1992 — making him a household name.  In 1998, via Ginger Media Group, he bought Virgin Radio from Richard Branson for £85M; selling it to Scottish Media Group in 2000 for £225M, netting approximately £75M personally.

After a turbulent period — fired from Virgin Radio for absenteeism in 2001, a failed lawsuit against the station, and setting up UMTV production company (2002–2005) — Evans returned to the BBC in 2005 on Radio 2 Drivetime, before becoming Radio 2 Breakfast Show host in 2010, succeeding Sir Terry Wogan. He held the role until 2019, regularly attracting 9 million listeners — more than any other UK radio programme. He presented Top Gear Series 23 (BBC Two, 2016), heading a relaunched cast, but stepped down after just one series on 4 July 2016.

Evans lives with his third wife, professional golfer and model Natasha Shishmanian (married 2007), and their four children — Noah (b. 2009), Eli (b. 2012), and twins Boo and Walt (b. September 2018). He is also father to Jade (b. 1986, from a pre-marriage relationship) and step-father figure to his older children from earlier relationships. He is a passionate Ferrari collector — his car collection is one of the finest in the UK.