The Grand Tour’s James May reveals real reason show is coming to an end as he says he ‘feels old and frail’
THE GRAND Tour star James May has revealed the real reason the show is coming to an end while opening up about his health ahead of the final ever episode of the motoring show next week.
James, 61, has admitted he “feels a bit frail” after all this time on the road.
It was revealed last year that The Grand Tour was coming to an end.
But before it does, James will reunite with his long-time friends and co-stars Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond for one final adventure.
The Grand Tour: One for the Road will premiere on Prime Video next Friday (September 13) and will see the trio test out some more of their dream classic cars during an epic road trip in Zimbabwe.
Ahead of the final episode airing, James opened up to GB News about his reasons for wanting to call time on the motoring show.
The Our Man In… star admitted his health played a factor as he recognised he’s not as young as he was when Top Gear started back in 2002.
And The Grand Tour is even more action packed and stunt heavy as the trio test out incredible cars racing each other on roads all around the world – and it has not been without injuries.
Admitting these stunts can take a bit of a toll, James said: “I won’t really miss the stress of it because I’m old now and a bit frail compared with back then [when we started].”
After 22-years of working with Jeremy and Richard, he explained that it felt like time to stop while they could still end the show on a high note.
“In the end, we got to the point where we said, ‘No, we must stop whilst we’re still vaguely ahead. We mustn’t keep going until we embarrass ourselves,’” he added.
“I’ve always said if it ends tomorrow, which it nearly did at one point, that I should just be grateful that I had the opportunity.
“I could always have gone back to some sort of proper life and done something responsible and sensible,” James concluded.
His tongue-in-cheek comments come after his co-star Jeremy said he felt “too fat and old” to carry on filming The Grand Tour.
Writing in The Sunday Times, Jeremy revealed the reason behind the hit show ultimately coming to an end.
He penned: “After 36 years of talking about cars on television, I’m packing it in, because I’m too old and fat to get into the cars that I like and not interested in driving those I don’t.”
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.
With that said, viewers can expect to see the dynamic trio give it their all in their final adventure.
“We really did save the best to last,” the Clarkson’s Farm star added in the trailer.
The synopsis for the finale gives fans a glimpse of what to expect.
“In their last ever Grand Tour adventure, Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May ignore Mr Wilman’s instruction to drive EVs down a grey British motorway and go rogue, heading to Zimbabwe in three glorious cars they’ve always wanted to own.
“A 1982 Lancia Montecarlo, a 1974 Ford Capri 3-litre and a 1974 Triumph Stag. They embark on a classic road trip through some of the most stunning landscapes they’ve ever encountered, winding through mountains, going across dry planes, cruising down boulevards, and taking their chances crossing a crocodile-infested lake on three unusual car-carrying boats,” it teases.
One for the Road is set to be an emotional finale for the series as it officially concludes Jeremy, Richard and James’ Top Gear and Grand Tour era.
The Grand Tour: One for the Road will premiere on Prime Video on 13 September.