The Grand Tour boss Andy Wilman has revealed that the end of the Amazon Prime hit series could have ended a lot sooner after the team became concerned they would “run out of ideas”.
Avid fans of James May, Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond only have to wait until September 13 for the final episode of the series – titled One for the Road – which was filmed last year.
The episode will bring together the end of their 22-year working relationship, with it being reported earlier this year that they had officially dissolved their production company W. Chump and Sons.
A synopsis for the last ever episode reads: “In their last ever Grand Tour adventure, Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May ignore Mr Wilman’s instruction to drive EVs down a grey British motorway and go rogue, heading to Zimbabwe in three glorious cars they’ve always wanted to own.
“A 1982 Lancia Montecarlo, a 1974 Ford Capri 3-litre and a 1974 Triumph Stag. They embark on a classic road trip through some of the most stunning landscapes they’ve ever encountered, winding through mountains, going across dry planes, cruising down boulevards, and taking their chances crossing a crocodile-infested lake on three unusual car-carrying boats.
“Just for old time’s sake, they visit their favourite location from 20 years of travelling the world, where they say an emotional farewell to their lives together on The Grand Tour.”
Whilst many are sad to see the series finally come to an end, fans should be grateful they have had eight years of the series, as Wilman revealed they initially were meant to do three series.
Discussing how The Grand Tour began and how it turned into doing specials instead of a studio show, he revealed: “We were really fired up when we joined Prime Video. We signed up for three series, twelve shows a year, and we did them and we did them well.
“But at the end of those three series, we were getting concerned that we would run out of ideas and get stale. So, we were going to call it a day, but then we came to an agreement with Prime Video where we’d just do the specials as we knew that the big cinematic adventures were what our fans loved.
“We could still deliver films of note with the Prime Video grandeur but not go stale with too many shows, and we could keep some kind of quality control in place by doing fewer things.
“We’re lucky that we’ve been able to control our destiny. We are now calling it a day on our own terms, and not many shows get to do that. Most of the time, you want to carry on, and you get told, ‘We don’t want you anymore’.”
Discussing the trio’s 22-year career together, Wilman added: “It doesn’t happen without Jeremy; he’s the tentpole. That can come across in a bombastic way, but he is the driver of where we go and what we do.
“They’re all funny, but you need a triangle in these things. You cannot have a democracy, and he is naturally the leader, the tip of that triangle. He undermines himself, but he’s also the engine room.
“I think James is the viewer to a degree in that he’s observing laconically, and he’s slightly distanced from all the irrational nonsense.
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“It’s almost like he’s got half a foot in the living room, and it’s not a show he really likes. He’s the closest thing to a viewer going, ‘What are they doing?’ and he goes off and does his own thing a fair bit too. He’s just as funny as the other two, but he’s more laconic.”
The trio’s bickering and putdowns have become an integral part of their motoring shows over the years, even back at the beginning of their Top Gear days.
