Jeremy Clarkson issues warning to Amazon over new Grand Tour presenters ahead of reboot
JEREMY Clarkson has issued a warning to Amazon bosses ahead of his final ever episode of The Grand Tour.
The petrol head has decided to bow out after eight years on Prime Video with his final episode dropping on Friday.
Jeremy, Richard and James went off to start The Grand Tour on Prime Video in 2016, and so began a new phenomenon which may now be getting rebooted with new presenters.
He said: “My advice to Amazon would be – and I’ve given this to them already – for heaven’s sake, do not get well known people who ‘like’ cars.
“Because when you do that show it has to be your life. No, you can’t open supermarkets. No, you can’t appear on another show. If you’re not actually filming, you’re thinking about what the next thing is that you’re going to film. It has to be all consuming.
“But there’s no point hiring, you know, somebody who ‘likes’ cars. Because that’s not enough. I would get three complete unknowns. Start small, like we did. They’ve got to be absolute petrolheads.
“I’ve got to be able to show them a picture of a quarter of a door mirror from any car ever made, and they’ve got to know what it is. I’d go to motoring journalists. James, Richard and I are all motoring journalists.
“That would be my advice if you want to continue with it, and I would hope that Amazon do continue with it.”
The last-ever instalment of the Prime Video series — fittingly called One For The Road — is also the end of an era for a certain breed of telly programmes.
So their screen farewell as a trio is suitably stunning, as it sees them travel across the breathtaking landscape of Zimbabwe in three of their favourite cars.
Jeremy chose a Lancia Montecarlo, James opted for a Triumph Stag and Richard picked a Ford Capri.
Unlike some of their other adventures, One for the Road focuses on the motoring rather than any stunts or sideshows.
Jeremy said: “We deliberately decided not to go over the top. No explosions, you know. We just wanted to do an unplugged ending, really. Just the three of us getting on.”
If The Grand Tour continues once they’ve hung up their driving gloves, Jeremy would like its new host to continue in a similar vein, too.
After they turned their backs on Top Gear in 2015, the show was then co-hosted by Friends actor Matt LeBlanc, DJ Chris Evans, then comedian Paddy McGuinness and Freddie Flintoff.
The Grand Tour episode guide
How many seasons of The Grand Tour are there and where do they take place?
The Grand Tour launched on Prime Video in 2016 and quickly became one of the streamer’s biggest hits as hosts Jeremy, 63, James, 60, and Richard, 52, felt it was time they move on from Top Gear hit the road.
They have now brought five epic series of motoring adventures to the small screen, each taking place in different locations and even featuring celebrity guests.
Series 1
- Series 1 aired from 2016 to 2017 and took the presenters to a number of foreign locales, including Jordan, Morocco and Italy.
- The series is comprised of 13 episodes, with episodes 7 and 8 making up a two-part special set in Namibia, where the trio embarked on an epic beach buggy challenge.
Series 2
- Jeremy, Richard and James returned for more motoring actor in series 2, and drove their way across Europe as they tested out some of their dream vehicles like the Bugatti Chiron and the McLaren 720S.
- This series, which aired from 2017 to 2018, is made up of 11 episodes. It features regular ‘studio segments’ filmed in the team’s permanent tent in the Cotswolds, and had regular participation from celebrities with two guests going head-to-head on timed laps every episode.
Series 3
- In 2019, the presenting trio crossed continents – from North America, to South America, to Europe and Asia – putting both new vehicles and classic sports cars through their paces.
- This series was the last to feature the regular studio segments, car reviews and timed laps.
- To mark the end of this era the final episode’s last segment includes a montage of scenes featuring the presenters over the course of their career as a trio, not only from this programme, but also from their time hosting Top Gear.
Series 4
- This series marked a complete change in format for The Grand Tour as it consists entirely for feature-length specials which aired between 2019 and 2021.
- The first two chronicle Jeremy, Richard and James’ epic adventures across Asia and Africa, while the third and fourth episodes saw them put foreign cars to the test on their home turf. And fitting American vehicles through Scottish roads is no easy feat.
Series 5
- Following the same format as series 4, the fifth and final series of The Grand Tour also consists of four feature-length specials.
- The first of these hits screens in 2022 and follows the trio as they travelled through Norway, Sweden and Finland in three Rally-Inspired Sports Saloons.
- The second episode was another Euro adventure while the third took the presenters back to Africa.
- The fourth instalment of the series and final ever episode of The Grand Tour, titled One for the Road, premieres on September 13, 2024. It promises to be an emotional one as the trio set out on one epic final adventure in Zimbabwe and reflect on their 22-year-long working relationship and friendship.