Jeremy Clarkson Admits The Grand Tour Filming In Madagascar Was “Really Spectacularly Tough”

The last episode of The Grand Tour saw presenters Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May battle their way through the roads of Madagascar in order to find lost pirate treasure. It was a picturesque episode with lots of gorgeous shots from the talented camera team, and the cars the trio used were equally as impressive.

We tried out a stock Bentley Continental GT V8 to see what we thought after watching in on A Massive Hunt. It’s safe to say we were impressed.

Clarkson has now admitted however that filming the episode wasn’t as much fun as it looked.

He said the following to a number of media outlets including Grand Tour Nation at a press event:

“That road was phenomenally gruelling. Of course, the backdrop is not gruelling at all.

“It was deserted white beaches, turquoise seas and verdant jungle all around us, overflowing with fruits and things to eat.

“It wasn’t the North Pole, it wasn’t a desert but the going was really spectacularly tough.

“And I think every car fan will look and think how on earth could those three cars possibly have kept going in the way that they did.”

It’s no surprise that he woke up feeling anxious about the day’s filming:

“The whole thing was difficult, waking up in the morning and thinking, I’ve got to go back on that road.

“And there was one day, I think I’ve got the numbers right when I say we drove non-stop for 16 hours and covered four miles.

“That was very, very gruelling. We’d be getting into the campsite at night at two or three o’clock in the morning, and you’d be off again at six the next day and you haven’t really eaten and you’ve drunk too much, it’s just awful.

“And it was very hot and I’m making it sound like it’s a real hardship going to a tropical island in a Bentley.”

The Grand Tour trio has now filmed another episode in Scotland, which we’re hoping will be released later this year.