James May will soon be on screens in the final instalment of The Grand Tour, which he has starred in since 2016 alongside long-terms pals Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond.
The trio formed a close working relationship through BBC’s Top Gear, which they hosted together from 2003 to 2015. The final episode of their Amazon Prime show, titled One for the Road, brings to an end the decades-long project of the car enthusiasts.
The ending to their iconic chapter together will see the three heading back to Kubu Island, where they filmed a Top Gear special way back in 2007.
When asked if he feels the location marks a full circle moment, May, 61, expressed concerns about “insulting” viewers with the poignant choice.
“We haven’t been back to Kubu Island since our first special, and it still looks exactly the same,” he reflected, adding: “I suppose it has done for thousands of years.
“Throughout the whole experience of Top Gear and then The Grand Tour has been there wasn’t a point in the intervening seventeen years where I sat and thought whimsically about Kubu Island.
“But then, when it happened, I thought, ‘We’ve come a long way.. We’re all older and struggled to climb up the rocks a littlebit!
“I mean, Hammond hasn’t changed. He’s even wearing the same clothes in our film that he did originally, as far as I could make out.”
The presenter went on to confess: “It’s me and Jeremy who look a bit stupid, but we’re older than him, and Jeremy’s even older than me.
“I was a bit worried when we were filming because I thought it could either become too fatuous, which would slightly insult the viewers, or it could become too mawkish, which would be a bit cringy. But it’s turned out pretty well, I think.”
As he opened up about the end of the group’s long career as a trio, May commented: “The thing about the process of making television is that right until the last minute, cameras are running, producers are keeping an eye on everything, people are milling around and everyone’s still working right up until the end until somebody says, ‘Cut, that’s a wrap.’
“But this time, it wasn’t just the end of this particular shoot; it was the end of the whole thing. So we all went round and had a bit of a handshaking thing and I realised that, although I’m sure I will run into them all again at some point, I may now not see some of them for years.
“That was a strange feeling because people like Ben Joiner, the Director of Photography, he’s been there since the first shoot, he’s been with us all the way through. A lot of them have, and they’re as much a part of it as we are.”
The milestone seemed to impact May’s co-stars slightly more than it did him, with Hammond admitting he was in tears.
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When asked if there were any tears over the trio’s work commitments ending, Hammond, 54, admitted he likes “a good cry” as he confirmed he did indeed get emotional.
“From me, certainly,” he responded, adding: “James isn’t one of nature’s big criers. I like a good cry.”
While the trio remain confident they’ll stay in touch, it may be unlikely viewers will see them on screens working on projects together anytime soon.
Clarkson is now occupied with his farming series Clarkson’s Farm, while Hammond stars in his solo show about his workshop. May is also likely to be kept busy by his gin company and pub.
