What Will The Grand Tour Presenters Do When The Amazon Series Ends?

It’s been rumoured for a long time now that Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May are slowly winding down work on The Grand Tour for it to eventually come to an end. Not only have they seriously reduced the output of Grand Tour episodes, but they’re all starting separate and time-consuming projects that I’m sure can’t be sustainable alongside the car show for too long.

Some of these projects are being filmed for shows, others are chugging along in the background to help the presenters create revenue through their retirement. So if you’re wondering what they’ll be up to when they finally do end their popular car show, read on.

Jeremy Clarkson – Farming

Jeremy Clarkson has owned his farm for a while now, with him contracting it out to a farmer who lived in the local village. This farmer has now retired, so Clarkson asked himself, “how hard can it be?” and decided to take it over himself. He’s now been doing it for over a year, all while filming his experience for his new show, Clarkson’s Farm, and it’s safe to say it’s been a difficult time for the ex-Top Gear presenter.

It turns out farming isn’t as easy as it sounds, with Clarkson saying the following:

“I genuinely thought you put seeds in the ground, weather happens and then food grows. So I thought ‘that’s not difficult’, but it’s phenomenally difficult and the heartache is extraordinary, plus it’s phenomenally badly paid. So I thought, if I get someone to film me doing it, that will offset some of the losses.”

The new show will be available to watch on Amazon Prime Video 11 June.

It’s highly unlikely that Clarkson will be able to continue his farming business alongside a large amount of filming, but he is pushing through it at the moment while The Grand Tour team is confined to the UK.

Richard Hammond – Classic Car Restoration

Hammond has always been a stickler for classic cars, owning a handful of classics himself including a Jaguar XK150 and of course his Opel Kadett named Oliver. Today, we revealed that the presenter is now starting a classic car restoration business named The Smallest Cog, which he insists is a reflection of the meticulous nature of the company, and not his height.

He said the following:

“It’s also about a passion of mine to preserve crafts – my grandfather could work with wood, metal and just about anything. I wanted to do something real in the car industry rather than just being a commentator on the outside of it. This business is the perfect opportunity for me to do that.”

“Jeremy [Clarkson]  and James [May] might suggest otherwise, but it’s to highlight the fact that our attention to detail will be right down to the smallest cog… and the smallest cog is often the most significant whether it’s in a gearbox, engine or differential,” he explained.

The business will be revealed at the London Classic Car Show, where Tiff Needell will be interviewing Hammond on its future.

James May – More Amazon Shows, And An Animal Sanctuary, And A Pub

James May’s love for solo TV work means that he’ll likely be continuing to produce films for a while now. Like Hammond, he has several other solo shows running alongside The Grand Tour such as Our Man In Japan and Oh Cook. He has however admitted that his health is deteriorating and will likely affect his future presenting.

He said the following:

“I’m developing nervous disorders and aches and I don’t think I’ll do this much longer because I don’t want to fall apart in public.

“It would just be a bit undignified and I don’t think people want to see it.”

Recently in an interview with DriveTribe, he admitted that he’d love to start an animal sanctuary:

“I’d like an animal sanctuary, money no object. I don’t want to run it, I don’t know enough about that sort of thing, I’d find some people to run it.

“I’d like there to be a place full of friendly, cuddly animals that I could go and visit.”

He was then asked about what animals he’d keep there.

“Oh no no, just things that have been saved. So there would be donkeys, horses, dogs, cats, rabbits, you know, all in a big field in some huts. All furry and happy and I’d just go and talk to them.”

May admits in the interview that he already owns a farm where this could take place, but he’s yet to begin planning.

“I don’t know, maybe I’ll think about that for retirement.”

May also owns half of a pub alongside another investor. It’s called The Royal Oak, the resides in Swallowcliffe, Wiltshire, 2 miles southeast of Tisbury and 11 miles west of Salisbury. Find it on the map below:

DriveTribe

Of course, the trio own DriveTribe, a social media community for car enthusiasts. Alongside this, using the same site template, they then started FoodTribe. It’s likely that they’ll be wanting to sell or use this template to make money later on once they have a successful business model, which will also get them through their retirement.

It would be a shame for Clarkson, Hammond, and May to cease filming, but with the presenters growing older and searching for new projects to enjoy, only time will tell how long they’ll want their TV careers to last.