I’m a Grand Tour fan and the final episode is the perfect send off – here’s why the show shouldn’t carry on
I’M going to make a confession straightaway – I’m not that bothered about cars.
For starters, I live in London so don’t own one, but even when I did, I just needed something reliable that could get from A to B and fit all my stuff in the boot on a weekend away.
So I don’t watch The Grand Tour for the cars featured that’s for sure.
No, I watch it for the trio presenting it; Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May.
There was a time when I’d find myself watching back to back episodes of Top Gear on Dave, which they hosted from 2002 – or 2003 in James’ case – to 2015.
So when they made the move to Prime Video – a year after their exit from the BBC – and launched The Grand Tour, I followed.
And this week, I attended a screening of their final ever special, titled One For The Road, and listened to the three stars talk about how their 22 year career working together was coming to an end.
While there were no tears at the Q&A, Jeremy is clearly emotional at one point in the finale and the others are obviously processing the end of an era too.
But despite a reflective tone to the finale, it’s still full of the wit, banter and ridiculousness that fans of the trio have come to know and love.
And that’s certainly why I watch them, as their bumbling antics have given me many laughs over the years.
I remember howling at Richard trying to get on a ski lift in their Norwegian special, and James getting covered in poop in Madagascar.
But the best moments come when the three of them are together, and all those years of working alongside one another shine through.
And that’s the magic of The Grand Tour – their chemistry, their shorthand – not the cars, the locations or anything else, as good as all those things are.
It’s also why I think the show needs to end with this fitting send off to Jeremy, Richard and James.
Prime is planning to carry on The Grand Tour with new hosts – yet to be revealed – but I think it’s the wrong move.
By all means come up with another new car-related adventure show, but don’t brand it The Grand Tour.
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.
In my eyes, Top Gear never quite regained the heights it reached when Jeremy and Co were on the show once they had left, and I don’t think The Grand Tour will either.
They can’t just try and replicate the dynamic between those three men with another group of guys, but then to change the show too much wouldn’t be The Grand Tour either.
So I think it would be best all round if we just let Jeremy, Richard and James speed off into the sunset one last time, and don’t tamper with perfection.
The Grand Tour: One For the Road is available on Prime Video from today.