Is Jeremy Clarkson’s The Grand Tour Dead?
This question has been asked many times across social media: is The Grand Tour dead? With Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May each turning to their own solo shows, most recently The Great Escapists where Hammond presents alongside Tory Belleci, it could be easy to believe the show is no more.
But while Clarkson is focussing on his farm and May writes cookbooks, it’s very difficult to answer this question definitively. Despite this, we can give some insight into what we should be expecting from the trio in the future, regardless of the roadblocks caused by the covid-19 pandemic.
In 2019, Andy Wilman shared a post to his Instagram account.
“Grand Tour film crew just receiving the news that they have to work with us for another two years,” his caption read.
This was back when The Grand Tour was working on two episodes a year with each year consisting of one season. With Amazon confirming that the first two special episodes, Seamen and A Massive Hunt, was one season, we can only guess that the team has one more season, consisting of two episodes, planned before the contract runs out, with the first being the Scotland special.
There’s been no word of the contract being extended, however, Clarkson also gave us a few clues as to how long this will last around the same time:
“We were signed up by Amazon to do three seasons and everyone was like, ‘They’re going to do four,’ but we were only asked to do three,” Clarkson said. “We’re delighted to say Amazon have asked us to do more.
“Whenever anyone would say, ‘Oh you’re not telling us because it’s not happening.’ No, we can’t tell you because we hadn’t gotten round to doing three. When we finished three we talked to Amazon and they said, ‘Oh no we’d be delighted,’ and they seemed to love us so consequently you’ve got us for a few more years yet.”
Clarkson obviously sees a future in the show, possibly even further than the fifth season that is confirmed. But beyond this, it’s likely that the trio will continue to create shows, at least solo, if The Grand Tour is coming to an end. Hammond has already shown his interest in doing another season of The Great Escapists alongside tory Belleci, and May has basically confirmed another season of the Our Man in travel series.
Hammond said, “I’d love to go back.”
“I’d love to make the show all over again. We had such a great time doing it.”
He continued: “I’ve said lots of times, you know, TV folk, it filters out those who aren’t going to get on, (and they) don’t do it for long. But when you know you’re gonna be away with a bunch of people for two months, you know if I’m a pain in the backside, everybody’s life is worse.
“So everybody gets on. So they [the crew] were fabulous. They were great company, they’re a great bunch.
“We would all at the drop of a hat tomorrow go straight back out and do it all again – as I’m sure would any of us.”
James May was asked about how the lockdown has affected filming, and this is where he mentioned Season 2 of his own show:
“Has lockdown expedited this sort of independent process that you’re going through?” the interviewer asked.
James replied, “it has delayed doing our big things like Grand Tour obviously because we can’t go anywhere.
“But we can’t go anywhere to do the other things we were going to do. I mean I was about to go off and do another of our ‘Our Man In’ shows. It’s not cancelled, but it’s postponed for quite a long time.”
We can only guess at what’s happening with The Grand Tour, especially as it’s been so affected by the pandemic, but what we do know for sure is that the trio will be staying around for a long time either doing their own things, or sat behind the wheel on The Grand Tour.
Let’s hope the crew can keep propping up those 3 hilarious unpredictable gluttons for punishment. Like a trainwreck, you cant not watch! Pay the crew extra if you have too,one of my favorites shows that I watch repeatedly never gets old!
I simply love the grand tour those three gentleman showed me more about the car world from the time at top gear I have watch every episode at least 3 times if not more. But if they don’t do another season I can understand that for more then 20 years they been giving us car shows. They are pretty much the longest running TV show so if they pull in another season if they made it the grand tours last ride that’s would be awesome I thank you guys for the hours of car knowledge I started to watch you guys at age 14 I’m 27 now
The Grand Tour is dead. One episode per year does not make a series. I’m surprised that Amazon lets them get away with it.
The escapists is an abortion! They took a great idea and turned it into a YouTube skit.