Key Takeaways
- Top Gear trio, Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May, returned with The Grand Tour on Amazon Prime after leaving the original show.
- The Grand Tour evolved over 5 seasons, ditching the Top Gear format for adventure-based episodes filmed around the world.
- The Grand Tour will conclude in Zimbabwe after over 20 years of automotive adventures, as the trio pursue new projects individually.
If you were around, conscious and a self-proclaimed automotive enthusiast in the early 2000s, then you should distinctly know three names: Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May. These three British car enthusiasts hosted one of (if not) the most prolific automotive review shows, that started in 2002, named "Top Gear." Top Gear was a no-holds bar, British automotive enthusiasts' show that had glitz, glamour and the Stig.
They had several different segments that covered automotive news, hot laps with new cars, celebrity guests and eventually turned it into a touring series where they would globe trot, partaking in all kinds of adventures with different automobiles. Unfortunately, the beloved TV series did not come without its fair share of controversies. As a result, Jeremey Clarkson was fired from the series. James May and Richard Hammond subsequently resigned in 2014.
Fast-forward to 2015 and rumors starting swirling around the internet that the three automotive musketeers were going to make a comeback in a "Grand" style. By the time 2016 rolled around, there was an official announcement that they were coming back to host their own TV series called, "The Grand Tour." The Grand Tour is a carbon copy of Top Gear that has the guy's own twist on the series. We're going to go over the synopses of the series, tell you where you can stream it and cover the fact that it may be on its last tour.
HotCars has sourced information from IMDb and Amazon Prime, in order to bring you everything you need to know about streaming The Grand Tour.
Here's What Top Gear's "The Stig" Now Does As A Day Job
For years, Ben Collins was the silent driver in the white suit pushing supercars to their limits, and today, he continues that on the silver screen.Here's Where You Can Stream Every Episode Of The Grand Tour
The Grand Tour consists of five seasons. Each episode is between one hour and 90 minutes in length. The first couple of seasons have a similar format to the original Top Gear. Instead of a dedicated location, they would film in a massive tent in different locations around the world. Finally, they ended up staying put in The Cotswolds, England.
When the third season premiered, they had completely trashed the idea of carbon copying Top Gear. Instead, they focused on making it a show of their own and really leaning into the "Grand Tour" aspect of the show. They sacked the studio audience, the tent and the hot laps for going on season-long adventures around the world.
When it comes to streaming these three famous gear heads, you have two options. It originally (and still does) air on Amazon Prime here in the US. Prime TV is included with your Amazon Prime membership, but if you do not want to buy a Prime membership for $140 a year, you can buy episodes in a pay-per-view format. You can also watch it for free (with advertisements) on FreeVee.
Where To Watch
- Amazon Prime: $14.99 per month.
- FreeVee - Free with created profile.
This Is The Best Road Trip Ever From A Top Gear Special
The Patagonia Special was arguably one of Top Gear's most memorable, with it being much more than Clarkson, Hammond, and May just driving cool cars.The Grand Tour Seasons 1-3 Synopsis
Season one premiered November 18th, 2016 and is currently sitting at an 8.6 out of 10 rating on IMDB, titled: The Holy Trinity. The set-up of the first couple of seasons mimicked the format of Top Gear. The difference is that they re-titled the different segments to not only not be sued by the BBC, but also to give them their own style and flair. The first season had 13 episodes, and they went all over from Nambia to Stuttgart in Germany, engaging in their usual wacky antics.
They even poked fun at their last series. Whenever they have a "celebrity" on, they would have them perish in some horrendous accident behind the tent that was all a stunt to make fun of the "stars in a reasonably priced car" segment from Top Gear. There were hot laps, a news segment called "conversation street" and a Stig-like stand-in, who would actually show their face while driving the car of the week. Instead of the Stig, they employed "the American." Mike Skinner is his name, and he is a NASCAR driver that they would poke fun at while he was driving whatever car they threw at him.
The Contraversial Segment Top Gear Couldn't Air, According To The Stig
Ben Collins, aka The Stig, decided to reveal some of the most fascinating pieces of trivia from across his long career in TV and racing.The Grand Tour Seasons 4-5 Synopsis
Releasing in December 2019, the producers scrapped the knock-off Top Gear format and instead stuck to their name and actually took the guys on a "Grand Tour." No longer was the studio audience, the segments, or the Stig with a face. In its place, they traveled to Cambodia and Vietnam, and even to Scotland. The year 2020 saw the inevitable COVID-19 pandemic which halted production.
Naturally, the pandemic caused complications for filming, but the trio persevered. In order to abide by UK laws at the time, which instructed individuals to restrict who they mix with, they each purchased a caravan in which they could travel in whilst filming, which was also the basis for the camera crew. By following these guidelines, the GT team were still able to deliver a new episode.
The Grand Tour Turned To "Special" Feature-Length Episodes
With the unfortunate rise of the pandemic, production of The Grand Tour turned season 4 into shorter specials that highlighted different adventures. Each episode was titled along the lines of: "The Grand Tour Presents: *Insert Special Title Here*" This is where the true nature of grand touring came into play. They took a detour from their typical four-wheeled vehicles and traded them in for speed boats to travel around Vietnam in "The Grand Tour Presents: Seamen."
The "Lochdown" episode is a cheeky title based on the fact that the guys take three of their favorite vintage American cars on a trip around Scotland. The final special consisted of the guys absolutely destroying different French cars by any means necessary and even driving some strange plane-type car.
Jeremy Clarkson Isn't The Only Top Gear Alumni That Now Has A Farm
Ben Collins AKA The Stig, decided to purchase his very own farm to produce cider.The End Of The Grand Tour Has Been Announced
In November 2023, it was announced that the series would be coming to an end. In an interview with Variety magazine, Jeremy Clarkson actually stated that, "I’m unfit and fat and old." Unlike the end of Top Gear, the guys are going to be ending it on their own terms because, in all honesty, they've been doing it for over 20 years at this point. When announcing the end of The Grand Tour in the final 'normal' episode, Jeremy was understandably emotional.
They have climbed the highest peaks, crossed the hottest deserts, driven the nicest cars possible and are basically throwing in the towel. Maybe Jeremy just wants to tend to his farm. The final episodes are currently streaming on Prime and Freevee. The last episode will take place in Zimbabwe, but there has not been an official announcement on the release date. The three gearheads now enjoy unique projects of their own, such as Jeremy's new show, Clarkson's Farm, which is also available to stream on Amazon Prime. James May also enjoys a number of his own shows, in addition to having recently set up a gin company. Hammond runs his own classic car workshop, with a show on Discovery+, dubbed Richard Hammond's Workshop.
Sources: IMDB, Amazon Prime, Variety