The Grand Tour

This article is about the British motoring programme. For other definitions and respective articles on Grand Tour, see Grand Tour (disambiguation).

The Grand Tour
Genre	Motoring Entertainment
Created by	Jeremy Clarkson Richard Hammond James May Andy Wilman
Written by	Jeremy Clarkson Richard Hammond James May Richard Porter
Directed by	Phil Churchward Brian Klein Kit Lynch-Robinson Gavin Whitehead
Presented by	Jeremy Clarkson Richard Hammond James May
Starring	Mike Skinner Abbie Eaton
Composer	Paul Leonard-Morgan
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language	English
No. of series	3
No. of episodes	29
Production
Executive producer	Andy Wilman
Producers	Chris Hale Greg Vince Richard Evans Ronan Browne
Cinematography	Ben Joiner
Editors	James Hart Dan James Chris Denton Joe Orr
Camera setup	Multi-camera setup
Running time	44–71 minutes
Production company	W. Chump & Sons Productions Amazon Studios
Original release
Network	Amazon Video
Release	18 November 2016 – present

The Grand Tour is a British motoring television series, conceived by Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, James May, and Andy Wilman, produced by Amazon Studios, launched on 18 November 2016, and made exclusively for streaming from Amazon Prime Video. The programme's format is similar to that of the BBC series Top Gear: each episode is hosted by Clarkson, Hammond and May, features a mixture of live-audience segments and pre-recorded films, and focuses on reviews of cars, discussions on motoring topics, celebrity timed laps (only for the second series), races and special motoring challenges.

The programme was conceived when Clarkson was dismissed from Top Gear, as a result of a disciplinary investigation by the BBC of his behaviour during and behind-the-scenes of the later series of the programme, and Hammond, May and Wilman subsequently left the programme in the wake of his dismissal. All four were later approached by Amazon Prime to create a brand new programme; their initial agreement was to produce 36 episodes over three years. Episodes are released weekly to those Amazon Prime Video accounts, and repeats of the first series were made available on traditional broadcasters in late 2017. Until the beginning of the second series, studio segments were filmed using a travelling tent in various countries, before it was decided to set it in a permanent location in the Cotswolds.

As of December 2016 the show was made available to 195 more countries and various territories, and has attracted favourable viewing figures after "The Holy Trinity" became Amazon Video's most watched premiere episode. Overall, the show has received positive reviews from critics. At present, the show is currently airing its third series since 18 January 2019.

Format

Timed Lap Board

Car	Time	Condition	Episode
McLaren Senna	1:12.9		25
Aston Martin Vulcan	1:15.5		2
Lamborghini Huracán Performante	1:16.8		20
Ford GT	1:17.6		21
McLaren 650S	1:17.9		not shown
McLaren 720S	1:17.9		17
Mercedes AMG GT R	1:18.7		15
Audi R8 V10 Plus	1:19.2		not shown
Jaguar XE SV Project 8	1:19.3		28
Porsche 911 GT3 RS	1:20.4		not shown
Nissan GT-R	1:21.2		not shown
Porsche 911 C2S	1:21.4		not shown
BMW M4 GTS	1:22.4		4
Porsche 718 Boxster S	1:23.4		not shown
Alpine A110	1:23.7		29
BMW M5	1:24.2		not shown
BMW M3	1:24.3		not shown
Honda NSX	1:26.0	Wet	9
BMW M2	1:26.2		1
Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio	1:27.1	Wet	10
Honda Civic Type R	1:28.2		not shown
Ford Focus RS	1:28.4		6
Lexus GS-F	1:29.6	Damp	12
Ford Mustang GT	1:29.6		6
Tesla Model X	1:29.6		not shown
Ford Fiesta ST200	1:32.8		not shown
Bugatti EB 110 Super Sport	1:32.8	Wet	22
Fiat Abarth 124 Spider	1:33.7	Wet	11
Jaguar XJ220	1:35.1	Wet	not shown
Volkswagen Up! GTI	1:39.7	Wet	18

The programme operates on a similar format that Wilman, the show's producer, Clarkson, Hammond and May, the show's presenters, all used during their tenure on Top Gear, though with significant differences to avoid clashing with their former motoring programme. Episodes mainly consist of a mix of pre-recorded television films and live-audience segments. Pre-recorded films consist mainly of car reviews and motoring challenges, and episodes will either use a mix of one or both, with the latter either consisting of single or multi-parts. Challenges function in a similar format to those of Top Gear challenges - special races, building and testing out a unique vehicle based on a car, or buying cheap cars and determining which is the best, with challenges denoted to the presenters by Wilman through text messages. Examples of these challenges include building their own eco-friendly car chassis atop a Land Rover, and racing through different forms of transportation. Like the specials of Top Gear, The Grand Tour also features unique specials focused on a singular type of vehicle or class that the hosts use to travel along a route in a foreign locale.

Car reviews, which remain a prominent part of the programme, are mainly done on a similar format to Top Gear, in that one or more cars are reviewed by a single or multiple presenters, put through various tests to check out aspects of the car (i.e. performance), with reviews filmed either around the United Kingdom or abroad, or took place upon a specially designed racetrack that was created for The Grand Tour, much like the Top Gear Test Track. Timed laps of the reviewed car remain a part of the programme, though are driven by a specially trained driver who functions in a similar manner to Top Gear's "The Stig". In the first series, the cars were driven by former NASCAR driver Mike Skinner, who was contracted to operate under the name "The American" and portray a stereotypical redneck accent and viewpoints, and making tangential speech and calling several things communist. After the first series, Skinner was dropped due to poor reception from viewers on his appearance on the programme, leading him to be replaced by British racing driver Abbie Eaton for the second series.

Studio segments are mostly filmed within a large studio tent that can house an audience of around 300 members, with the presenters sat around a trestle table and the audience seated in front of them. Initially, the first series involved these segments being filmed within a travelling tent that was set up in various countries, with audiences acquired for the locale used for filming of the studio segments, as part of an emphasis that the programme was on a Grand Tour around the world, but in the wake of Hammond's crash in Switzerland and Clarkson's pneumonia prior to the second series, the use of a travelling tent was dropped and a more fixed location was established, with studio segments for the second series onwards being filmed on the outskirts of Chipping Norton. These live-audience segments act as breaks between pre-recorded films and are mostly based on a similar format the presenters used on Top Gear, but with unique versions created for The Grand Tour. A continuously used segment based on a similar one for Top Gear, entitled "Conversation Street", focuses on the presenters discussing car news - this segment is often introduced by a video introduction of silhouettes of the presenters discussing something, accompanied by a jazz piece called "Heavy Berry" by Scott Robinson, with a running gag on the programme being that this introduction features something different and comedic happening in each episode since it first premiered.

Celebrities were not initially part of the programme to begin with due to concerns over legal issues from the BBC towards their involvement possibly competing to the celebrity format used in Top Gear - to reflect this opinion, the programme created a humourous "celebrity" segment for the first series entitled "Celebrity Brain Crash", which involved look-alikes of popular celebrities getting humorously "killed" in an accident while making their way to the tent, reflecting this matter. This segment was later dropped in response to complaints made by viewers, leading to the decision that celebrities would be a part of the programme. As a result, a new segment was created for this purpose, entitled "Celebrity Face Off" - for each episode, two celebrities with a similar background or connection and often from different countries, would be interviewed before driving around a brand new track for this series, in a Jaguar F-Type R-Dynamic coupe, to see who could post the fastest lap time. The use of celebrities was later dropped prior to filming of the third series, to dedicate more time to films.

The Grand Tour race tracks

"Eboladrome" test track at RAF Wroughton

Gravel course at Enstone Airfield introduced in Series 2 and used for Celebrity Face Off

When the programme was first conceived and created, the production team opted for the creation of a dedicated test track for the purpose of being used for reviews of testing of vehicles by presenters, alongside the establishment of lap times by cars that are reviewed. The track was eventually sited at the former RAF Wroughton airbase, with its layout consisting of two loops - one large and one small - connected by a single stretch of tarmac between them and christened as the "Eboladrome", due to the design of the track resembling the structure of the Ebola virus. The track include sections devised under a humorous arrangement, including "Isn't Straight", "Your Name Here", "Old Lady's House", "Substation" and "Field of Sheep". Prior to the airing of the first episode, the lap-board for lap-times was pre-populated by those made from a selection of ten cars, all of which weren't filmed, thus the first filmed time lap to be conducted on the track was that of a 2016 BMW M2.

For the second series, the production team decided to create a second track for the specific purpose of being used in the newly created celebrity segment "Celebrity Face Off". They eventually decided to situate the new track at Enstone Airfield, close to the fixed studio tent location, which the production team had previously tried to use for Top Gear. The track was mostly designed as an oval, with half of it involving a gravel track. The second track remained in use on the programme until it the discontinuation of the celebrity segment prior to the third series.

Celebrity Face Off

Celebrity Timed Lap board

Celebrity	Time	Condition	Episode
Ricky Wilson	1:20.1	Dry	14
David Hasselhoff	1:24.1
Kevin Pietersen	1:17.2	Dry	15
Brian Wilson	1:17.5
Hugh Bonneville	1:22.2	Dry	16
Casey Anderson	1:18.6
Michael Ball	1:23.3	Damp	17
Alfie Boe	1:24.4
Dominic Cooper	1:23.6	Wet	18
Bill Bailey	1:25.1
Luke Evans	1:21.3	Dry	19
Kiefer Sutherland	1:17.8
Bill Goldberg	1:20.4	Dry	20
Anthony Joshua	1:18.7
Nick Mason	1:21.3	Dry	21
Stewart Copeland	1:24.2
Dynamo	1:39.3	Snow	22
Penn & Teller	1:33.8
Rory McIlroy	1:21.9	Wet	23
Paris Hilton	1:25.8

Episodes

Series overview

Series	Episodes		Originally aired
			First aired	Last aired
1	13		18 November 2016 (2016-11-18)	3 February 2017 (2017-02-03)
2	11		8 December 2017 (2017-12-08)	16 February 2018 (2018-02-16)
3	14		18 January 2019 (2019-01-18)	TBA

Series 1 (2016–17)

Throughout the first series, the programme hosted its studio segments across various foreign locales, with only two locations being used for two separate, consecutive episodes in this series. The only exception is the two-part special, where there were no studio segments filmed. Celebrities were not part of the show's format throughout this series - most celebrities mentioned within studio segments were look-alikes used in a special segment only used for this series - with the exception of a couple of episodes.

No. overall	No. in series	Title	Vehicles Reviewed	Main Feature	Original air date
1	1	"The Holy Trinity"	McLaren P1, Porsche 918 Spyder, LaFerrari, BMW M2	Hybrid Electric Hypercar Comparison	18 November 2016 (2016-11-18)
Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May launch their brand new programme by hosting their first episode from within Rabbit Dry Lake, California. The presenters begin proceedings by comparing a selection of hybrid hypercars - Clarkson backs the McLaren P1, Hammond favours the Porsche 918 Spyder, and May has a liking for the LaFerrari - and putting them through a series of drag races, road tests, before seeing which is the fastest in timed laps. Meanwhile, Clarkson takes a look at the BMW M2 while introducing the programme's own test track and their test driver known only as "The American". Notes: Hothouse Flowers, Chris Goodwin, and Jérôme d'Ambrosio guest starred in this episode.
2	2	"Operation Desert Stumble"	Aston Martin Vulcan, Audi S8 Plus	SAS Training Exercise	25 November 2016 (2016-11-25)
The trio set up their tent on the outskirts of Johannesburg, South Africa for their next episode. The presenters find themselves undertaking a SAS-style military training exercise per their producer's instructions, escorting a "VIP" to an important location while tackling a review of the Audi S8 Plus. Meanwhile, May takes part in the specialised South African motorsport of "Spinning" and finds out how to compete in it, while Clarkson tests the Aston Martin Vulcan at the Eboladrome.
3	3	"Opera, Arts and Donuts"	Rolls-Royce Dawn, Aston Martin DB11, Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat	North Italy Grand Tour	2 December 2016 (2016-12-02)
The trio host their next episode within Whitby, United Kingdom. The presenters take on a tour of northern Italy, travelling across the country in a car of their choosing - May takes the Rolls-Royce Dawn with him, Clarkson travels in the Aston Martin DB11, and Hammond occupies the driver seat of the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat. The group begin at the Palio di Siena horse race, exploring art in Florence, racing each other at the Mugello Circuit, visiting the Lamborghini Museum and Piazza dei Signori, Vicenza, and finish off their tour in the city of Venice. Meanwhile Hammond and May fulfil a bet from the first episode during their hypercar reviews, by destroying Clarkson's old home in Chadlington, Oxfordshire as part of the wager Clarkson lost. Notes: The demolition of Clarkson's Oxfordshire home was scripted for The Grand Tour, as it was scheduled to be demolished at the time of filming for this episode.
4	4	"Enviro-mental"	Porsche 911 GT3 RS, BMW M4 GTS	Building an Eco-Based Car	9 December 2016 (2016-12-09)
The trio continue to host the programme in Whitby for the fourth episode. The presenters take on the challenge to make their own environmentally friendly car bodies using the platform of a Land Rover Discovery, before tackling an 11-mile road trip to a dirt track to race against three normal cars. Meanwhile, Clarkson performs a comparison test between the Porsche 911 GT3 RS and the BMW M4 GTS at the Eboladrome.
5	5	"Moroccan Roll"	Mazda MX-5, Zenos E10S, Alfa Romeo 4C Spider	Morrocan Roadster Trip	16 December 2016 (2016-12-16)
The trio set up within the port at Rotterdam, Netherlands for the next episode. Following an argument over the best affordable roadster, the presenters travel to Morocco for a road trip in the roadster they prefer - Hammond arrives for the trip with a Mazda MX-5, May seeks to prove that the Zenos E10S is the best, and Clarkson puts his trust for enjoyment in the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider. Along the way, the trio engage in a drag race, weigh their cars, and then conduct a timed lap of each car on a specially made circuit at Atlas Corporation Studios in Ouarzazate. Meanwhile, Hammond and May make their own version of Battleships, using old cars as the "ships" and several G-Wizes as "missiles", and play their game to see who has the keenest strategy to win.
6	6	"Happy Finnish Christmas"	Ford Mustang GT, Ford Focus RS	LeMans Rivalry between Ford and Ferrari	23 December 2016 (2016-12-23)
The trio set up their tent for a festive episode, within the forests of Saariselkä, Finland. Hammond and Clarkson get into an argument over which is the best - the new right-hand-drive Ford Mustang GT, or the new Ford Focus RS - reviewing their respective choice before seeing which is the fastest around the Eboladrome. Meanwhile, May talks about the historic 24 Hours of Le Mans rivalry between Ford and Ferrari, which gave birth to the Ford GT40 and the Ferrari P3, while the trio take a look at a selection of festive motoring-themed gift ideas. Notes: Bob Geldof made a special appearance in this episode.
7	7	"The Beach (Buggy) Boys – Part 1"	N/A	Beach Buggy 2-part Special	30 December 2016 (2016-12-30)
The trio find themselves taking on a special challenge arranged by their producer - prove that beach buggies are not poor vehicles, by each making one to their own specification, before taking them one thousand miles (1,600 km) along Namibia's Skeleton Coast. May bases his on the original 1960s buggy design, Clarkson opts for his to be fitted with a V8 engine, while Hammond upgrades his with rally grade suspension and off-road tyres. In the first part, the trio journey towards the shipwreck of Eduard Bohlen, cross the harsh terrain and sand dunes of the Namib Desert, and make for the capital of Windhoek.
8	8	"The Beach (Buggy) Boys – Part 2"	N/A	Beach Buggy 2-part Special	31 December 2016 (2016-12-31)
The trio continue their journey in their modified buggies, finding themselves heading for the Namibia-Angola border. Starting out at Windhoek, the group contend with rough roads and harsh off-road terrain, and traverse a crocodile infested river, whereupon they soon come to the conclusion that their producer might have been right about beach buggies, when they find themselves within sight of their goal.
9	9	"Berks to the Future"	Honda NSX	Creating a "proper" SUV	6 January 2017 (2017-01-06)
The trio set up their tent for the next episode, near Stuttgart, Germany. Clarkson attempts to make a "proper" combing classic car bodies with the chassis of a Land Rover Discovery, whereupon he tries out his creation by taking his fellow presenters for a trip to Chelsea Football Club and later seeing how much it fetches at a car auction in Kensington. Meanwhile, the presenters take a look at ingenious charging methods, May heads for the Eboladrome to review the new Honda NSX, and Hammond tries to make some post-apocalyptic creations that his colleagues soon destroy via different methods.
10	10	"Dumb Fight at the O.K. Coral"	Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio	Saving coral reefs with car body shells	13 January 2017 (2017-01-13)
The trio host their next episode at Nashville, Tennessee. To help save dying coral reefs off the coast near Barbados, the trio attempt to shore them up by dumping the shells of five car bodies to help them rebuild, but soon face issues from losing most of the bodies they bring, leaving them to attempt to complete their job with the body of a Land Rover. Meanwhile, Clarkson travels between Wales and the Eboladrome, as he gives an extensive review of the new Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio.
11	11	"Italian Lessons"	Fiat Abarth 124 Spider	Second-hand Maserati challenge	20 January 2017 (2017-01-20)
The trio set up on the shore of Loch Ness, Scotland, for their next episode. Heading to France, the presenters seek to prove that second-hand Maseratis are a good purchase, by each buying a specific Maserati they think will prove their point - Clarkson buys a Biturbo S Coupé, Hammond chooses a 430 Saloon, and May selects a Zagato Spyder. The trio put their cars through a series of tests, before embarking on a road trip across Northern France, finishing in a race to the Port of Le Havre. Meanwhile, Hammond heads to the Eboladrome to try out the new Fiat Abarth 124 Spider.
12	12	"[censored] to [censored]"	Lexus GS-F, Bentley Bentayga, Range Rover, Jaguar F-Pace	British 4x4s Road trip on the "Romantic Road"	27 January 2017 (2017-01-27)
The trio remain on the shore of Loch Ness for their next episode. Heading over to Germany, the trio decide to take a road trip on the Romantic Road, in order to review a selection of British 4x4s - May tests out the Bentley Bentayga, Clarkson drives a Range Rover, and Hammond reviews the Jaguar F-Pace. Travelling across Germany, Bavaria, and Austria, the pair pass by several places with humorous names linked to sexual actions, before eventually ending their journey at a quarry, whereupon each conducts a timed lap to see which car is the fastest. Meanwhile, Clarkson heads to the Eboladrome to review the new Lexus GS-F.
13	13	"Past v Future"	Volkswagen Golf GTI, BMW i3	918 Spyder vs. Veyron drag race	3 February 2017 (2017-02-03)
The trio pitch up their tent in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, for the final episode of the series. Clarkson compares his retro Volkswagen Golf GTI against May's futuristic BMW i3 to see which is the better - past or future - including testing them with a drag race and taking them on a road trip from London to Dartmoor. Meanwhile, the Porsche 918 Spyder takes part in two drag races within Dubai to determine if it is faster than the Bugatti Veyron and a 1900 horsepower Nissan Patrol, May is tasked with taking part in the sport of Off-road Winching, and Hammond travels to Michelin's proving grounds in France to learn how to drift and then prove his skill against professional drifters, followed by a series of outtakes showcasing how skilled Clarkson and Hammond are with drifting cars.

Series 2 (2017–18)

From this series onwards, the tent would now be permanently situated in the Cotswolds and not within a foreign locale for each episode. The table below includes the celebrity guests who appeared for the celebrity segment used in this series only.

No. overall	No. in series	Title	Vehicles Reviewed	Main Feature	Special guests	Original air date
14	1	"Past, Present, or Future"	Lamborghini Aventador S, Honda NSX, Rimac Concept One	Best Supercar of Time Period on the market	David Hasselhoff, Ricky Wilson	8 December 2017 (2017-12-08)
The trio head to Switzerland to see which supercar, either from the past, present or future, is best - Clarkson represents the past with a petrol powered Lamborghini Aventador S, May represents the present with a hybrid powered Honda NSX, and Hammond represents the future with an all-electric powered Rimac Concept One. On a journey amongst the Swiss Alps, the trio check out museums around Lucerne, conduct a drag race, and then compete in a hill climbing race at Hemberg. For the brand new series, the trio introduce a new segment called Celebrity Face Off, with Ricky Wilson and David Hasselhoff becoming the first guests for this segment to compete to see who is the fastest amongst them. Notes: Richard Hammond was injured in the course of filming for this episode, after his car crashed upon finishing the hill-climbing race. Footage of this and Hammond being airlifted to hospital was released on YouTube.
15	2	"The Falls Guys"	Ford GT, Mercedes AMG GT R	Race from New York to Niagara Falls	Kevin Pietersen, Brian Wilson	15 December 2017 (2017-12-15)
The trio engage in race to see who can get from Manhattan, New York City, to an observation tower overlooking the Niagara Falls - Clarkson opts to win the race in the new Ford GT, while Hammond and May seek to beat him using public transport. Meanwhile, Clarkson takes a look at the Mercedes AMG GT R before handing it over to new test driver Abbie Eaton for a timed lap around the Eboladrome, and Kevin Pietersen competes against Brian Wilson in "Celebrity Face Off" to determine who is the fastest driver amongst them.
16	3	"Bah Humbug-atti"	Kia Stinger GT, Bugatti Chiron	Bugatti Chiron "jet set" road test	Hugh Bonneville, Casey Anderson	22 December 2017 (2017-12-22)
Clarkson recreates a jet set lifestyle, as he finds out what it is like to drive the new Bugatti Chiron, taking it on a journey from Saint-Tropez to Turin via the Alps, with a drag race along the way. May heads to Majorca to test out the Kia Stinger GT in a race against longboard riders along a mountain road. Hammond and May invent a new motorsport for relieving office workers of lunchtime boredom and take a look at festive motoring gifts, and Hugh Bonneville and Casey Anderson compete to see which of the two is the fastest driver.
17	4	"Unscripted"	McLaren 720S, Audi TT RS, Ariel Nomad	Doing an "unscripted" film in Croatia	Michael Ball, Alfie Boe	29 December 2017 (2017-12-29)
The trio head out to Croatia, to combat criticism that their programme is too "scripted", by making a completely "unscripted" film - as part of this film, Clarkson and Hammond focus on comparing the Audi TT RS and the Ariel Nomad through a drag race and a rally stage, while May turns up with Lada Riva and sees how good it can work as a fire engine. Meanwhile, Hammond tests out the McLaren 720S at the Eboladrome, the trio host an awards ceremony for "Conversation Street", and Michael Ball and Alfie Boe compete to see who is the fastest classical singer amongst them.
18	5	"Up, Down and Round the Farm"	Ripsaw EV2, Volkswagen Up! GTI	"Farmkhana" film	Bill Bailey, Dominic Cooper, Mark Higgins	5 January 2018 (2018-01-05)
Hammond travels to Dubai to test out the Ripsaw EV2 around the city and the surrounding desert, while May heads to the Eboladrome to try out the Volkswagen Up! GTI. Meanwhile, Clarkson creates a Ken Block-styled film entitled "Farmkhana" near Rye, East Sussex, complete with outtakes and behind-the-scenes footage of the filming, and Bill Bailey and Dominic Cooper compete in "Celebrity Face Off" to see who is the fastest amongst them.
19	6	"Jaaaaaaaags"	N/A	Jaguar Reliability Trip	Luke Evans, Kiefer Sutherland	12 January 2018 (2018-01-12)
The trio head to the State of Colorado, to establish Jaguar's reputation for reliability by purchasing a selection of its classics - Clarkson brings along the XJR, May buys an XK8 convertible, and Hammond takes with him a Mark X. The trio take their choices for a road trip from Grand Junction to Telluride, taking part in a series of challenges, but soon face issues that include two of the cars having to be replaced by a different set of Jaguar classics. Meanwhile, Kiefer Sutherland and Luke Evans face off as the latest guests competing to see who is the fastest amongst them.
20	7	"It's a Gas, Gas, Gas"	Lamborghini Huracán Performante	Rally rivalry between Audi and Lancia	Anthony Joshua, Bill Goldberg	19 January 2018 (2018-01-19)
Clarkson takes a look over the rivalry between Audi and Lancia in rallying, by showcasing two of their most renowned cars in rally motorsport history - the Audi Quattro, and the Lancia Rally 037. Meanwhile, Hammond heads to the Eboladrome to review the Lamborghini Huracán Performante before pitting it in a drag race against May's Ferrari 458 Speciale, the pair look into ingenious methods of refuelling, and Anthony Joshua competes against Bill Goldberg on "Celebrity Face Off" to see who is the fastest amongst them.
21	8	"Blasts from the Past"	Jaguar XK SS, Aston Martin DB4 GT, Honda Civic Type R, Ford GT	Classic Jaguars and Aston Martins vs. a modern Honda	Stewart Copeland, Nick Mason	26 January 2018 (2018-01-26)
Hammond and Clarkson set out to prove that classic Jaguars and Aston Matins - specifically a Jaguar XK SS and Aston Martin DB4 GT - are better than May's belief that new cars are the best, pitting their choices against a modern Honda Civic Type R. The trio take them on a journey from Pau, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, France, across the Pyrenees mountain range, and towards Barcelona, Spain, placing their choices through a series of challenges. Meanwhile, at the Eboladrome, Clarkson reviews the Ford GT in more extensive detail since he used it in the Niagara Falls race, and Nick Mason and Stewart Copeland compete against each other to see who is the fastest drummer amongst them.
22	9	"Breaking, Badly"	Jaguar XJ220, Bugatti EB 110 Super Sport	Fastest speed for a British amphibious vehicle	Dynamo, Penn & Teller	2 February 2018 (2018-02-02)
The trio seek to build their own amphibious vehicle and use it to break the UK speed record for vehicles of this class, creating two different vehicles - one based on a Rolls-Royce Spey, and the other using a Bond Bug - whereupon their finalised creation faces setting the record at Coniston Water during the Coniston Power Boat Records Week. Meanwhile, at the Eboladrome Clarkson takes a look at the Jaguar XJ220 and the Bugatti EB 110 Super Sport, two supercars from the early 1990s, and Penn & Teller compete against Dynamo to see who is the fastest magician between them.
23	10	"Oh, Canada"	Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio, Range Rover Velar P380, Porsche Macan Turbo Performance Pack, Tesla Model X, Ford F150 Raptor	Uselessness of small SUVs	Rory McIlroy, Paris Hilton	9 February 2018 (2018-02-09)
The trio head out to Canada to prove that small SUVs are useless - Clarkson attempts to prove their point with an Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio, May chooses to showcase the uselessness of a Range Rover Velar P380, and Hammond attempts to demonstrate what can't be done with a Porsche Macan Turbo Performance Pack. Along the way, the trio test their choices out through, lap times, carrying Newfoundland dogs, race round a barrel course against a horse, and towing a boat up a mountain. Meanwhile, Clarkson reviews the new Tesla Model X at the Eboladrome and on the road, and Rory McIlroy competes against Paris Hilton as the latest guests on "Celebrity Face Off".
24	11	"Feed the World"	N/A	Fish Feeding Journey across Mozambique	N/A	16 February 2018 (2018-02-16)
The trio head to Mozambique on a mission to bring fish from the capital of Maputo to the people of Bingo. To cover the 200 mile journey of their task, each presenter chooses a vehicle they believe will work, with a modification for the job - May brings along a Mercedes-Benz Estate with a Perspex tank filled with sea water, Clarkson drives in a Nissan Hardbody truck fitted with an ice machine, and Hammond arrives with a TVS Star motorcycle and an attached rack on its rear. Along the way, the group endure multiple breakdowns as they try to reach their destination as best as they can, only to face a problem when they finally arrive with the fish they have brought with them.

Series 3 (2019)

Following the previous series, the use of celebrities on the programme was dropped, to provide more focus on films.

No. overall	No. in series	Title	Vehicles Reviewed	Main Feature	Original air date
25	1	"Motown Funk"	Ford Mustang RTR Spec 3, Hennessey Exorcist Camaro ZL1, Dodge Challenger SRT Demon, McLaren Senna	Muscle Car V8 visit to "Motor City"	18 January 2019 (2019-01-18)
The trio head to Detroit with three iconic tuned American muscle cars - Clarkson driving the Ford Mustang RTR Spec 3, May selecting the Hennessey Exorcist Camaro ZL1 and Hammond choosing the Dodge Challenger SRT Demon - putting their choices through their paces with some drag races on a deserted street, a noise test, and a race around a specially created track in Cadillac's old factory. Meanwhile, Clarkson reviews the McLaren Senna at Thruxton Circuit, before it is put through a timed lap at the Eboladrome.
26	2	"Colombia Special Part 1"	N/A	Colombia Wildlife Photography Trip 2-part special	25 January 2019 (2019-01-25)
At the request of Amazon, the trio head out for a road trip across Colombia, seeking to photograph a condor, a spectacled bear, a jaguar, and a hippopotamus, all in the wild, with the photos becoming the company's new screensavers. For the trip, the group each bring along a vehicle they believe they will need - May brings with him a Fiat Panda 4x4 Sisley, Clarkson turns up in a Jeep Wrangler, and Hammond arrives in a Chevrolet C/K Silverado. Starting from Cartagena, they journey for Santander, dealing with narrow bridges and jungle terrain along the way, as they focus on acquiring the photograph of their first animal in the region.
27	3	"Colombia Special Part 2"	N/A	Colombia Wildlife Photography Trip 2-part special	26 January 2019 (2019-01-26)
With one animal checked off their list, the trio continue southwards to find their remaining animals to photograph. After getting their next animal, the presenters make modifications at their overnight spot in Bogotá, while taking part in a football match with their Colombian fixers. Heading south, they soon swap jungles for the mountains, higher altitudes, and a hail storm to find their third animal, before eventually discovering that their final animal they seek will not be a difficult search. Notes: All photographs taken in the two-part special were displayed as part of the credits for this episode.
28	4	"Pick Up Put Downs"	Mercedes X-Class, Ford Ranger, Volkswagen Amarok, Jaguar XE SV Project 8	European Pickup comparison challenge	1 February 2019 (2019-02-01)
The trio head for Wales to compare a selection of European Pickups - May utilising the Mercedes X-Class, Hammond driving the Ford Ranger and Clarkson using the Volkswagen Amarok. As part of their comparison tests, the presenters put them through their paces in an agriculture challenge, before conducting a series of third-world tests including overthrowing dictators, chaos fleeing, refuelling the military and civil war riots. Meanwhile, Clarkson reviews the Jaguar XE SV Project 8 at the Eboladrome.
29	5	"An Itchy Urus"	Alpine A110, Lamborghini Urus	Tribute to Jim Clark	8 February 2019 (2019-02-08)
Clarkson puts the Lamborghini Urus through its paces in Arjeplog, Sweden, driving it up a ski slope then racing Eaton in a Porsche 911 Turbo S on an Ice Track. Meanwhile, May reviews the new Alpine A110at the Eboladrome, and Hammond pays tribute to racing legend Jim Clark.
30	6	"Chinese food for thought"	Hongqi L5, NIO EP9	Second-Hand Western Luxury Car Challenge	15 February 2019 (2019-02-15)

Notes

In January 2018 the team were spotted filming in Colombia for a delayed special with three 4x4s. In March 2018, Shifting Lanes reported that Clarkson would test the Lamborghini Urus at the Arjeplog winter testing facility in northern Sweden. A month later, Clarkson reported on DriveTribe that the team would be filming in Scotland in three classic Italian sports cars. The following month, the team were spotted filming in Wales with some pickup trucks and were later spotted in London filming with some hatchbacks alongside Hammond's wife. May confirmed on DriveTribe that he would be testing the Alpine A110. In June 2018, the team was spotted filming in Detroit, Michigan, with Hammond driving the Dodge Challenger SRT Demon, May in the Hennessey Exorcist Camaro ZL1 and Clarkson drifting the Ford Mustang RTR.

Later that month, CarTests reported that Clarkson, Hammond and May were spotted in Hong Kong with a film crew and later revealed the location of filming was Mongolia for their latest special.In July 2018, Clarkson confirmed on The Sunday Times that he would be testing the latest Bentley Continental GT at the Eboladrome. He later posted several images of him testing the Hongqi L5 in Chongqing. The team themselves were spotted filming with several second hand luxury cars in the city. At the end of the month Clarkson revealed he would be testing the McLaren Senna. In August 2018, Producer Andy Wilman showed pictures on Instagram of the Aston Martin Vantage being tested around the Eboladrome by Hammond. Later that same month, Clarkson was spotted driving a De Tomaso Pantera in St Maurice, France.In September 2018, the team were spotted in Arizona filming with a selection of motorhomes as well as the new Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1 which was driven by Clarkson. Later that month footage showed Harry Metcalfe's Lamborghini Countach being thrashed round the Eboladrome. At the end of the month Clarkson and Hammond were spotted with some mobile luggage at London Stansted Airport.

In October 2018 the team were spotted filming in Georgia and Azerbaijan with Hammond driving the Bentley Continental GT, Clarkson enjoying the Aston Martin DBS Superleggera and May in the BMW 8 Series. Later that month Clarkson posted on Instagram footage of him driving a new Lancia around the Eboladrome. The team wrapped up filming in Lincoln later on that month.

Production

History

The presenting line-up consists of Richard Hammond, James May and Jeremy Clarkson.

Clarkson, Hammond and May had been presenters on BBC's Top Gear, both as part of the rotating hosts of the original, and permanent hosts for the 2002 rebooted series up through 2015. Under them, the show had an estimated worldwide audience of 350 million, and listed by Guinness World Records as the highest-viewed factual television programme. Due to several incidents involving Clarkson, the BBC chose not to renew Clarkson's contract with the show in March 2015. Both May and Hammond affirmed they would not return to Top Gear without Clarkson, even though the BBC offered them lucrative salaries to remain on for additional series. Along with their departure, their long-time producer and Clarkson's classmate Andy Wilman also opted to leave at this time. BBC retooled the show for 2016, bringing in new hosts Chris Evans and Matt LeBlanc.

Shortly after his separation from the BBC, Clarkson stated his intent to start a new car show, saying "I have lost my baby but I shall create another. I don't know who the other parent will be or what the baby will be like." Rumours that Clarkson, Hammond, and May were developing a new show through discreet meetings with various networks emerged starting in April 2015. These rumors pointed to a potential American broadcaster, as the terms of Clarkson's non-compete clause with the BBC stipulated he could not make a rival car show with a BBC competitor, such as ITV. Among those that had been approached included Netflix, who felt Clarkson's team wanted too much money for what they were worth, and BT Sport, believing this show would be a better fit on a network with a more global reach.

In July 2015, Clarkson announced he had signed a deal with Amazon to develop a new car show that followed a similar format as Top Gear, with both Hammond and May joining him as co-hosts, and Wilman producing. Among other personnel from Top Gear going to the new show included director Phil Churchward, the husband of Fifth Gear's Vicki Butler-Henderson. The deal included 36 episodes across three series which would be available to Amazon Prime members starting in 2016. Wilman stated that Amazon promised them to have the freedom they wanted to make the show how they wanted along with the necessary budget. Additionally, by using a subscription-based service over an advert-based network, they would not be beholden to commercial pressure for their advertisers. Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon, said he was "very excited" about bringing this program to Amazon, and that producing the show would be "very, very, very expensive", but added, "[Clarkson, Hammond and May are] worth a lot and they know it." According to insider information reported by The Daily Mirror, Amazon paid £160 million for all three series. Wilman denied the show cost this much, but did admit the show was costly, partially due to Amazon's intent to have it filmed in 4K resolutions. The production of this show would be based in the United Kingdom, and done by W Chump & Sons, a company set up by Wilman, Clarkson, Hammond and May.

The show's name, The Grand Tour, was revealed in May 2016. Clarkson said the name brought to mind the tradition of Grand Tours, and reflected how the show would travel to several different countries to film. There was speculation that the show could be called Gear Knobs after a trademark application was made for that name by an associated company, but Clarkson stated in October 2015 that this would not be the title. He explained in April 2016 that the word "Gear" could not be used for legal reasons.

The Grand Tour tent behind school buses in the Lucerne Valley, California for the first episode of series 1

Initially, the show's format was to present individual television films, using location shooting without studio segments. They later came up with the idea of using a travelling tent to provide a mobile "studio", to go along with The Grand Tour name. They would be able to use local audience members, and would give the hosts the opportunity to explore the local culture around cars. According to Wilman, the idea to film audience segments in a tent came from Clarkson, who had seen an episode of True Detective that took place at a Baptist revival ceremony.

On 13 December 2018, while shooting the final episode for Series 3, it was announced that the show had been renewed for a fourth series. However they would ditch the tent and release big budget car specials, on staggered dates rather than regular episodes. Alongside this Clarkson, Hammond and May were all going to start producing individual shows for Amazon based on their own interests.

Legal issues

Wilman said that lawyers for Amazon were very mindful of any perceived similarities in segments to Top Gear, requiring changes to the format and regular segments. Named elements from Top Gear like The Star in a Reasonably Priced Car, the Cool Wall, and the Stig could not be used at all, but they also had to clear other legal concerns. For example, the lawyers said they could test cars on a test track, but they could not post the times using hand-written signs as they had done on Top Gear; instead, they used a digital leaderboard. Wilman said that some of the lawyers' concerns "got funnier and funnier", such as whether May could say "cock", or whether during one of their exotic roadtrips, if they could stop and admire the scenery by saying "it's beautiful" as they frequently did on Top Gear.

Many outlets falsely reported that the BBC had explicitly told the crew they could not have celebrities come on the show and race around a track. This was later confirmed to be false, with the crew admitting that the real reason for the nature of the segment was a last-minute panic.

"Celebrity Brain Crash" was replaced in series two by "Celebrity Face Off" where two celebrities compete to be fastest around a track, avoiding the legal complications with the BBC.

An episode was censored by Amazon Prime Video in India because it included footage that could have been construed as offensive by the Indian audience. The footage showed a windshield that was made of a cow's body organs and removal of the footage resulted in a significant reduction in the length of an episode.

Filming

During the first series, the studio segments were filmed in various locations around the world. Studio recording for the first series began in Johannesburg, South Africa on 17 July 2016. Recording in the United States took place on 25 September 2016 in Southern California, with further recording taking place in Nashville on 21 November 2016. Studio recording in the United Kingdom took place in Whitby on 13 October 2016, with further recordings taking place at Loch Ness in December 2016. Further studio recording took place in Rotterdam on 22 October 2016 and Lapland on 3 November 2016. Stuttgart (Ludwigsburg) was also a filming location. The final studio filming took place in Dubai in December 2016.

United Broadcast Facilities (UBF) in The Netherlands had won the contract for the outside broadcasting tent segments. Fourteen microphones were used for recording the audience reaction laugh track within the tent. The mobile studio audio setup used Lawo mixing desks connected via MADI for live sound mixing, recording and talkback intercoms.

For the second series, following Clarkson's pneumonia and Hammond's car crash, the producers decided that there would no longer be a travelling tent. Instead the tent would be in one location near Clarkson's home in the Cotswolds as this would be more convenient for the crew to operate. It also would be useful for new features such as Celebrity Face Off. In September 2017, West Oxfordshire District Council gave planning permission for three months of filming from a fixed tent location on the Great Tew Estate, near Chipping Norton. Two-hundred parking spaces already used for hosting the Cornbury Music Festival on the same site would be used to accommodate 350 guests per week, plus 80 members of staff. The time window allowed for the series 2 filming was between October and December 2017.

For third series, the travelling tent will again stay put and return to the Great Tew Estate, near Chipping Norton. Filming took place between October and December 2018.

Promotion

The Grand Tour parcel tape used for orders in November 2016

Following the public naming of the show, Amazon offered new customers a £20 discount for their first year on Amazon Prime during 14–16 May 2016. A trailer announcing the release date of the show as 18 November 2016 was posted on the show's YouTube channel on 15 September 2016. A second, full-length trailer, was released on 6 October 2016. Trailers for series one have used the music "Come with Me Now" by Kongos., while series two trailers have used "Live and Let Die" by Wings.

As part of their marketing campaign, Amazon placed crashed Toyota Prius cars at Hackescher Markt in Berlin, in front of London King's Cross railway station, and on the Hollywood Walk of Fame outside the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.

Sponsorship

In mid-2016 DHL began sponsoring the transport costs of the tent and mobile studio. In June 2016, in connection with the sponsorship deal, the presenters had uploaded videos of themselves attempting to assemble DHL-branded shipping boxes. The first episode stated that "promotional consideration" had been given by the Breitling Jet Team, DHL and Samsung. Eight of the Breitling Jet aircraft took part in the opening sequence flyovers. For episode 2, the list included 5.11 Tactical. A DHL Boeing 757 was featured in the opening sequence of episode 5, the tent was located in Rotterdam, and the DHL logo is featured on part of the crash barrier at the Eboladrome.

Technical issues

During filming for some episodes in the second series of the show, the production team suffered major technical issues with the tent lighting, which threatened to derail filming. Nonetheless, all episodes were released on the correct dates, with all delays having been averted.

Reception

As of November 2016 the show has received positive reviews from critics, with The Guardian saying "Jeremy Clarkson and co leave the BBC in their dust".

Daily Express TV reporter, Neela Debnath commented that the first episode "resembled a Hollywood blockbuster" and added that "[The Grand Tour is] basically Top Gear on steroids". However, BBC Arts Editor, Will Gompertz said of the opening that "there is no irony. It feels uncomfortably hubristic" but once the presenters were in the tent "Normal service has been resumed" and that "It seemed to me that Grand Tour is a TV show that wants to be – and quite possibly should be – a movie". The Independent described The Grand Tour as "the best of Top Gear but with a greater budget". TheWrap reported an estimate by Symphony Advanced Media that the opening weekend viewer count for The Grand Tour was three times the size of the opening weekend of The Man in the High Castle.

Episode 2 was somewhat less favourably received by fans and critics. The Telegraph wrote about the Jordan segment: "[...] a tedious action movie segment suggested that they were in danger of losing the run of themselves slightly and that Amazon's hands-off policy towards the production had potential downsides." Radio Times said that "many of the viewers were disgruntled to say the least, branding the show as dull and not funny."

Hammond was criticised by Stonewall, Peter Tatchell, and Olly Alexander, among others, for a comment he made in episode six where he implied that men who eat ice-cream are homosexual. It was later revealed that the comment was an in-joke for the Finnish audience as a reference to a controversial TV commercial that aired in Finland.

The Grand Tour received a nomination in the Original OTT Streamed category at the 2017 Television and Radio Industries Club Awards.

Kevin Yeoman of Screen Rant gave the show a positive review, stating "Fans can rest assured Top Gear hasn't gone anywhere, it's just hiding out at Amazon under a different name." Sonia Saraiya of Variety was also positive of the show, stating "When it comes to the cars, The Grand Tour delivers gearhead porn in spades... Clarkson, Hammond, and May's love for machinery... is still present, pure, and appealing, even with the shift in networks and formats."

Conversely, in April 2017 Brad Anderson of CarScoops stated that he prefers Top Gear to The Grand Tour. According to Anderson, Top Gear had "become even better", whereas The Grand Tour "seemed more scripted, less natural and at stages, forced... attention is often skewed away from the cars as the presenters, namely Clarkson, seemed to chase controversy and headlines". Anderson continues that in-studio segments became repetitive quickly, particularly "Celebrity Brain Crash", also noting that all three hosts seem to spend far too much time needling each other, and test driver Mike Skinner offers no worthwhile commentary.

On the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the first series of The Grand Tour has a "fresh" rating of 86%, based on 7 reviews, with an average rating of 8.0/10.

Digital Spy was positive of series 2, episode 1, calling it "An understated premiere for a show that feels like it's finding its feet." The Times was also positive, giving the show 4 out of 5 stars, stating "Some parts of the show are flat but mostly it works, the production values remain high and it has clearly been hit with a juggernaut of money." The Daily Telegraph, while not as positive, still approved of the episode, stating "The writing is still rather ropey. Clarkson's suggestion of a new nickname for May – "Dingleberry Handpump" – failed to raise a titter even among the super-fans gathered for the London premiere" but also said that "for each wobble, there are just as many moments when The Grand Tour manages the clever trick Top Gear could pull off at its best: raising a chuckle while sneaking in a bit of serious journalism at the same time." and ultimately gave the episode 3 out of 5 stars. Jeremy Clarkson himself believed that they had "hit the ground running with series 2 of the Grand Tour".

Radio Times has criticised the gender balance of guests on the "Celebrity Face Off" segment. There was only one woman guest – in the episode "Oh Canada", (Paris Hilton).

There was criticism of the programme from January 2019 by former Pop Idol contestant singer Will Young, for what he perceived as homophobic remarks.

Hothouse Flowers playing for the opening sequence of "The Holy Trinity" episode in the Lucerne Valley, California

Broadcast

Australian free-to-air network Seven Network started broadcasting the first series of The Grand Tour in mid-October 2017.

French channel RMC Découverte started broadcasting the first series with the Namibian special episodes on 29 November 2017 and L'Équipe (TV channel) broadcast episodes 1 and 13 on 15 January 2018.

At the start of 2018 high-speed Eurostar train services between Paris or Brussels and London began to feature The Grand Tour as part of the available on board entertainment package.

Related media

Video game

On 15 January 2019, Amazon Game Studios released a companion video game for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, to coincide with the third series of the programme, entitled The Grand Tour Game. Designed as an episodic, casual racing game, players take on a series of challenges based upon those from the series and using the same cars involved - for each new episode of the series, an episode of the game is simultaneously released with approximately 15 new challenges for the player to undertake. The game includes single player mode alongside local split-screen multiplayer for several of the challenges, with footage from the programme included in each episode's release. The presenters Clarkson, May, and Hammond provided voice-overs for the game.

Since the game's release, The Grand Tour Game has been met with mixed reviews. Although the game received praise for the graphical detail to locations for challenges and the cars featured, and for being appealing to fans of The Grand Tour and Jeremy Clarkson, most criticised the driving controls and the basic designs of the challenge, and in some cases, the repetitive nature of some challenge designs in the game.

See also

• List of original programs distributed by Amazon
• DriveTribe, an automotive enthusiast website by Clarkson, Hammond and May.

External links

• Official website
• The Grand Tour at IMDb
• The Grand Tour's channel on YouTube
• Geographic data related to The Grand Tour's "Eboladrome" test track at OpenStreetMap
• Geographic data related to The Grand Tour's Enstone gravel test track at OpenStreetMap
• Quotations related to The Grand Tour at Wikiquote