The Grand Tour Producer Andy Wilman Reflects On His Long-Term COVID Symptoms
The next episode of The Grand Tour is based in Madagascar, and follow Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May as they begin a search for hidden pirate treasure. Fans are incredibly excited, although filming for this episode finished much earlier this year.
Andy Wilman, producer of the Amazon Prime Video car show, was however struck down with COVID, elongating the editing process and pushing it back to where it is now. The ex-Top Gear presenters even wanted to head to Russia this Winter period, but of course, plans were put on hold thanks to pandemic travel restrictions.
Andy Wilman has discussed how COVID affected the production of The Grand Tour, but in a recent interview with BT, he talks about the long term effects COVID has had on his life.
“I’m alright. It’s alright. I started doing exercise again, although you wouldn’t think so looking at me,” says Wilman on being asked about his recovery.
“You do realise doing exercise, ‘s**t this is still knocking around me’. It’s in your lungs. But right now, no dramas. It’s all okay, thank you.”
With the UK heading into a tough choice over Christmas thanks to the pandemic and a new strain of COVID being found in London, tensions are high as we come into the holiday. But with The Grand Tour Presents: A Massive Hunt to be released this Friday, fans have something to take their minds off what’s going on outside.
Jeremy Clarkson has recently described the UK’s second lockdown as “truly ludicrous” and “heartbreaking”.
Jeremy said: “Like pretty well everyone, I was supportive of the total lockdown back in the spring. We didn’t know anything about the virus back then so it was wise to hide under the bed while research was done.”
He explains that things were very different compared to when the island first went into lockdown. He said the following: “But we do know a bit about it now. And what we know is that, mostly, it kills people who were going to die soon anyway.”
He went on to say: “But to give them that extra week of life in the loneliness of their care home or the misery of a sanitised hospital ward, we have embarked on a truly ludicrous path of self-destruction.”
The host was keen to point out the economic distress the country will be in one the furlough scheme ends. “I was in London this week, which is supposedly faring better than towns and cities in the North and I could not believe how many shops that I’ve been using for years are now gone.,” he said.
