LONDON (AP) — A host of BBC car show "Top Gear" has apologized "unreservedly" for filming stunt driving near Britain's best-known war memorial.

Chris Evans says program-makers were "unwise" to film close to the Cenotaph, a stone monument to Britain's war dead near Parliament in central London.

Some bystanders complained after co-host Matt LeBlanc and a professional driver were seen performing "doughnuts" in the street nearby. Col. Richard Kemp, a retired army officer, called the stunt "gravely disrespectful."

The BBC said photos made the car appear closer to the monument than it really was, but Evans said he understood why some people were angry.

He said Monday that "on behalf of the Top Gear team and Matt, I would like to apologize unreservedly for what these images seem to portray."