Jeremy Clarkson reveals surprise ‘real reason’ The Grand Tour is ending
JEREMY Clarkson has addressed the surprise ‘real reason’ behind The Grand Tour coming to an end.
The popular Prime Video motoring show, which starred Jeremy, Richard Hammond and James May, finished its run on September 13
During the trio’s final road trip, titled “One for the Road”, Jeremy revealed a reason for wanting to wrap up the show: his disinterest in reviewing electric cars because they are “s**t”.
Previously, the 64-year-old penned in The Sunday Times: “After 36 years of talking about cars on television, I’m packing it in, because I’m too old and too fat to get into the cars I like and not interested in driving those I don’t.”
At a screening for the final Grand Tour episode, the star admitted: “It gets you tonight, it is the end. It didn’t at the end of filming.
“We said three years ago we would do one more then end it.
“We had driven cars higher and faster than anyone else so we did wonder what else we could do with a car.
“We had run out of places to go, we had run out of things to do. And I had got fat.”
Having launched in 2016, The Grand Tour began after its three stars departed BBC hit Top Gear.
A total of five series aired on Prime Video, with the finale being billed as the sole episode of series six. It saw the hosts travel to Zimbabwe in their dream cars.
In addition to Jeremy, Richard and James, executive producer Andy Wilman also made the jump to The Grand Tour.
Meanwhile, Jeremy previously opened up about his other show, Clarkson’s Farm, affected his goodbye to his longtime collaborators.
Also on Prime Video the series follows Jeremy’s experiences running Diddly Squat Farm in the Cotswolds.
He said: “Where I would have been emotional was saying goodbye to the crew because most of them started with us.
“There’s a photograph taken on Kubu Island of Russ Edwards and Casper Leaver (Camera Operator) and Andy Wilman, who were there on the original crew, and they’re still with us.
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.
“You can’t say that about any other show. We are a dysfunctional family, and I’d miss that, except for one tiny detail.
“There I was with all these guys that I’ve known and worked with for twenty-four years and I said, “I’ll see you all on Monday morning” because they all work on Clarkson’s Farm.
“I’m 100% convinced I would have been a lot more emotional without the farm show.
The Grand Tour is available stream on Prime Video.