Jeremy Clarkson reportedly had a rather unexpected reaction when he was shown what the next generation of The Grand Tour had been getting up to behind the scenes. The former presenter was among those given a glimpse of the new-look motoring series before its launch, despite Amazon deliberately keeping the returning stars at arm's length from the production.
And while Clarkson was apparently impressed by the new presenting team, one particular sequence left him wondering why he and his old co-stars had never thought of doing something similar.
Producer reveals former hosts' involvement
Andy Wilman, the producer who helped create The Grand Tour after working with Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May on Top Gear, lifted the lid on their involvement during an appearance on TellyCast.
The trio have now handed over presenting duties, with YouTube motoring personalities Thomas Holland and James Engelsman, from Throttle House, joining trainspotting sensation Francis Bourgeois for the latest incarnation of the show. But Wilman revealed Clarkson, Hammond and May were not simply handed finished episodes to watch.
Instead, the former hosts were shown selected material, with the production team putting together compilations to give them an idea of what their successors had been producing. “They didn't see anything but version two,” Wilman said.
Clarkson's reaction to the new footage
He explained that Clarkson was keen to see enough of the new footage to decide whether he could get behind the programme, adding: “Jeremy wanted to see stuff because, and the other guys saw stuff because they weren't gonna endorse something that they thought was s***.”
It appears the initial verdict was a positive one. Wilman recalled Clarkson watching the footage and reacting enthusiastically to the new presenters. “He was like, 'Oh, they're good. They're good, they're good,'” he said.
The former Top Gear frontman also met the newcomers and apparently approved of the direction in which the show was heading. However, there was one moment which seems to have struck a different chord with Clarkson.
Malaysia film sparks question
While discussing a film shot in Malaysia, Wilman remembered how the sequence began in Singapore at an impressive location. Clarkson watched the footage and immediately questioned why the original Grand Tour team had never attempted anything quite like it.
“And he turned to me, he went, 'Why the f*** didn't we do this?'” Wilman recalled. Wilman's response was suitably blunt: “And I'm like, 'Alright, you know, what are you going to do, fire me?'”
The producer admitted Clarkson seemed “quite jealous” of some of the things the new presenters had managed to achieve, although there was no suggestion that the reaction was anything other than good-natured admiration. “So he was quite jealous of some of the things,” Wilman said.
New hosts receive blessing
That approval extended to the show's other former presenters, with Hammond and May also agreeing to return for cameos. “Richard was happy. James was happy, and then they were happy to do their cameos,” Wilman confirmed.
The support has apparently meant plenty to the new presenters. Bourgeois, 26, said Clarkson, Hammond and May had been particularly welcoming as the show moved into a new era. “They've been so warm and open,” he told the Press Association. “It's that transition point where they know it's going into nice, right hands, to have them, and to have their blessing is an absolute superpower.”
The new series marks a major changing of the guard for The Grand Tour, which began in 2016 after Clarkson, Hammond and May left Top Gear. May previously said the trio had “exhausted” the subject. Now Holland, Engelsman and Bourgeois are taking on the show's trademark challenges, travelling through locations including the US, Malaysia and Angola as they attempt increasingly ambitious motoring adventures. The new six-part series launches on Prime Video on September 4, with the original trio still making appearances along the way.
