The original hosts will reportedly make an appearance on the reboot of the motor show.
Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May are reportedly set to return to The Grand Tour in a surprise comeback twist as the trio will join the new hosts for a “smooth transition” to the new series. The original hosts, who presented the previous six series, will be sharing their know-hows to support the new team, which includes “trainspotter” Luke Magnus Nicolson, also known as Francis Bourgeois and YouTubers Thomas Holland and James Engelsman, the creators behind the car channel Throttle House.
Andy Wilman, co-creator and executive producer of Clarkson’s Farm, told The Sun: “We’ve got three guys coming soon with a new Grand Tour and we’ve got behind them. We’re really supporting them. Our guys are in the shows doing cameos, so we’re wishing them well because we do want to pass that baton on.”
Andy also explained the decision of picking three young hosts over someone “who likes cars”. He mentioned in an interview at the Buckingham Literary Festival: “When those three [Jeremy, James and Richard] go away, you can’t parachute in three new, good presenters who are funny.
“That’s like describing the show over the phone to an alien – ‘you just need three funny blokes and they muck about’. It’s not going to work.”
While the new hosts are not celebrities like Top Gear hosts Paddy McGuinness and Freddie Flintoff, Jeremy believed the decision might be better for the show. He said: “There’s no point hiring somebody who ‘likes’ cars. Because that’s not enough.
“I would get three complete unknowns. Start small, like we did. They’ve got to be absolute petrolheads. I’ve got to be able to show them a picture of a quarter of a door mirror from any car ever made, and they’ve got to know what it is. That would be my advice.”
The seventh series of The Grand Tour is set to air on September 4. Prime Video announced that the new trio will be “crossing the Angolan desert in track cars” before “exploring Malaysia’s vibrant car culture” and “heading to California to test America’s latest and greatest performance cars.” They’ll also challenge “fighter pilots and even an entire nation’s legal system”.