Since the beginning of 2023, there’s been plenty of speculation regarding why Amazon Prime Video‘s The Grand Tour is ending after seven eventful years with Top Gear alums Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May.
Multiple sources had previously told Variety the streaming platform was ending its partnership with Clarkson following certain comments he’d made about Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, in The Sun (which provoked a record 25,000+ complaints to the British press regulator). After what wrapping up had already been commissioned/was currently in production, of course.
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But it would appear that these so-called sources were just two steps left of centre.
While The Grand Tour is indeed concluding this year with two final episodes — one in Mauritania (The Sand Job) and another in Zimbabwe (TBA) — as confirmed by both the BBC and Jeremy Clarkson himself last December, this departure is actually on the talents’ terms.
During a recent interview with The Times, Clarkson noted that filming the show is “immensely physical when you’re unfit and fat and old, which I am.” The 63-year-old veteran auto journalist and beloved television presenter later added how he, Hammond (54), and May (61) have just about done it all behind the steering wheel.
“I’ve driven cars higher than anyone else and further north than anyone else,” added Clarkson.
“We’ve done everything you can do with a car. When we had meetings about what to do next, people just threw their arms in the air.”
So where do they go from here? According to Variety, options to continue the series with different hosts are currently being explored, though none have been greenlit. And given the dip in viewing quality once the trio left Top Gear, I think it might be worth simply leaving alone.
Clarkson continued: “James May thinks there’s never been a more interesting time for how we move around and he’s probably right, but I don’t think it’s very interesting television.”
“An electric car is no different from a chest freezer or a microwave oven. There’s no glamour or excitement. This week on Top Chest Freezer! I think it suits the written media more.”
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As mentioned above, before The Grand Tour gets its fairytale ending wherein the boys ride off into the sunset, there are still two more episodes left in the chamber.
The Sand Job is the first proverbial cab off the ranks, scheduled to stream on Amazon Prime Video sometime next month, while cameras have yet to begin rolling on the Zimbabwe instalment.
All up, Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May have worked alongside one another for over 20 years now.
