Less than a decade after Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May quit Top Gear in controversial circumstances, the trio have confirmed their departure from the follow-up series The Grand Tour. All counted, it’s been almost exactly 20 years since Clarkson, Hammond and May first appeared on screen together, and we’re left wondering if this upcoming season will be the last ever.
Clarkson confirmed the departure on Instagram, saying there will be “No more Grand Tour after next year,” in response to recent rumours (but not the first) about him and his co-stars leaving. This sad news for motoring enthusiasts arrived just after a recently filmed feature-length episode of The Grand Tour, which was shot in Zimbabwe and is expected to arrive on Amazon in the new year.
With no further detail beyond Clarkson’s social media post, it’s hard to know if this is the end of one of the most enthusiastically worshipped trios in television history. It was back in 2015 when the greatest motoring show to ever grace our screens ended as we knew it, with the three hosts resigning in support of Clarkson, who had been let go following the assault of a Top Gear producer.
While speaking with The Times, Clarkson said: “We’re done. I have reviewed cars on TV since 1989. That’s 34 years. And after next year, I won’t be doing that any more.”
For those keen to keep Clarkson on their screens in some format, his show Clarkson’s Farm has been renewed for a fourth season and will return next year.
