Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May take on the world in this thrilling new car show. The three men who were single-handedly responsible for keeping The BBC relevant over the last few decades have been given the keys to the kingdom by Amazon.
When deciding on what to name the show the trio held numerous brainstorming sessions where they went through a series of names such as, Gear Knobs, House of cars, and flat tracks. They eventually settled on The Grand Tour or GT, a cheeky play on the name of their former employer Top Gear, although they still maintain that this was a complete coincidence.
The show is the brainchild of the former Top Gear trio of Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May together with former Top Gear executive producer Andy Wilman. The show follows the trio as they take a "grand tour" of the World. It follows a similar format to the one they had on Top Gear which included, car reviews, timed laps, challenges, races and celebrity guests.
Old friends Re-United
Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May are re-united after their stay at The BBC came to a dramatic end. The trio spent several years together as co-hosts of the famous British motoring show, Top Gear before Clarkson was unceremoniously dismissed by The BBC. The Broadcaster announced back in March 2015 that it will not be renewing Clarkson's contract after the presenter had been found guilty of verbally and physically abusing one of the show's producers, Oisin Tymon.
In a show of solidarity, Richard Hammond and James May refused to film the show without their co-host and eventually left Top gear. They then teamed up with Andy Wilman and Amazon to bring us The Grand Tour.
The Cost of Making The Grand Tour
The show is rumored to cost around $250 million to produce. Netflix boss Ted Sarandos claimed that Amazon paid $250 million for the Grand Tour and not the $160 million that was first reported. "That was an under-reported number," Sarandos told The Telegraph. "It was about a quarter of a billion dollars".
Netflix had initially bid for the show, but couldn't match the figure that Amazon was willing to pay.
The opening scene of The Grand Tour cost an eye-watering $3.2 illion. In the intro the trio speed across the California desert in three Ford Mustangs that are donning the colors of the American flag. They are then followed closely behind by a fleet of 150 cars with an estimated value of $25 million. The outlandish intro is one of the most expensive ones on TV.
The Grand Tour
The grand tour first premiered on Amazon Prime on the 18th of November 2016, earning rave reviews. The first episode of The Grand Tour clocked an impressive 86 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes (8/10). It also became the highest-rated premiere for an Amazon series in the streaming service's history.
The first season of The Grand Tour consisted of 13 episodes. The show was shot in a "touring tent" that was erected in nine 9 different countries. Jeremy claimed that the tent took about two weeks to set up. The military-style tent can fit an average-sized studio audience. The idea to take their studio on the road was designed to give audiences from around the world the opportunity to be apart of the show.
The show changed the format for seasons two and three. Instead of taking their touring tent around the world, they decided to ground it in a single location.
In an interview, Jeremy Clarkson explained their decision to ground their famous tent.
"What we found during the first series was that it became quite difficult to make both the tent and filming move. To be honest, it became quite compromising logistically and in terms of energy, and it doesn't make much difference - you still in effect get a studio," Clarkson explained.
The show was renewed for a further two seasons by Amazon back in December 2018. They decided to change their format for a second time. The crew scrapped their tent completely in favor of "Big adventure road trips that fans around the world would love."
Amazon opted on giving Clarkson, May and Hammond full autonomy. The chemistry that the trio has on-screen gives the show its authenticity. The shackles are off and the boys have been given the freedom of the open road.
What's Next for the "Holy Trinity"?
The trio announced at the end of Season three of The Grand tour that they would be quitting studio car shows. Clarkson told the audience, "It's the end of an era, there are only so many times you can watch a BMW go around the track."
The boys still have to complete at least two more seasons of The Grand Tour before they can sail into the sunset. One thing is certain, It will be a long and emotional farewell for the trio when they do decide to finally hang up their keys.
Sources: Telegraph.co.uk, rotten tomatoes, IMDb,