he Grand Tour has finally come. Car lovers and fans of the old Top Gear series can rejoice as Amazon has just announced a new episode of the Grand Tour coming to Amazon Prime on December 18th!
Amazon's New Hit Series
The original Top Gear series ended back in 2015, but avid watchers know that the trio of Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond landed a deal to host a very similar formatted show on Amazon's streaming service, Prime Video. In 2016, they launched the first series and soon became one of Amazon's most popular titles.
Teaser Trailer
Almost a year since the last Grand Tour episode, 'Seaman' was released, the British trio is set to be back for more adventures and hijinks in vehicles that are hilariously put together. To create hype, Amazon recently put out a short trailer showcasing the comedic genius. In the trailer, the trio look to have a Ford Focus RS, Bentley Continental and a Caterham converted into 4x4 monsters assisting in what looks to be like a treasure hunt on Madagascar! Following the previous episodes unusual water-based escapades on the Mekong River, James, Richard and Jeremy are tasked by Mr.Wilman to tackle the worlds roughest road in the highly modified cars. The series had looked to be at a stand still with no word on release dates of new episodes but this trailer confirms the launch date of December 18th, 2020.
COVID Filming
Like almost everything in the current world, filming the new episode was put on hold due to the coronavirus outbreak. The crew saw filming pushed back to this past summer, as Jeremy Clarkson gave a sneak peak of filming on his Instagram.
Clarkson shared the picture in October of himself and his two co-presenters at what looked like the filming area of this upcoming episode. People in comments section had obviously caught wind of them filming in Madagascar, and urged the trio finally drop a new episode. They were also supposed to film in Russia for a third episode but laws and COVID restrictions put an abrupt end to that. It is uncertain if they will return to re-shoot in Russia but we are sure that they will find a way to make up for the lost episode.
Solo Endeavors
In addition to the Grand Tour, Amazon has also backed a solo project called Our Man in Japan, starring James May. The travel adventure series is a spinoff of the Grand Tour and showcases May traveling around Japan and learning/experiencing Japanese culture.
Jeremy Clarkson, on top of the Grand Tour, hosts 'Who Wants To Be A Millionaire' on ITV. Although Clarkson hasn't given indication on other new shows or appearances, we are sure that he is content with his current situation.
Richard Hammond has also had several of his own shows on National Geographic as well as the BBC.
The Show Must Go On
During an interview, James May gave great indication of the Grand Tour not finishing anytime soon; even with COVID-19 still looming.
“There are all sorts of lovely places without having to go too far. Everything is postponed, it’s not cancelled"
This comes as terrific news as the trio have always found a way to make such an entertaining show, even for those that aren't petrol heads. James May knows the value they bring as presenters and goes on to express why the Grand Tour and Top Gear were so successful:
"Whenever we make the Grand Tour, and it was the same on Top Gear, it’s about the subject first and the story, then we make it fit somewhere”
This sentiment is echoed directly through the amount of viewers that they are continuously able to pull in. No matter the show name or content they make, Jeremy, Richard and James will always have an audience.
Where Can You Watch The New Episode?
Unfortunately, The Grand Tour show is an Amazon Prime Video exclusive only. Amazon Prime subscribers are therefor the only users able to watch the new episode and older episodes. You can however get Amazon Prime Video for a free on a 30 day trial. The free trial gives you access to all of their content so you can binge watch and see if it'll be worth the subscription.
Tune into Grand Tour: A Massive Hunt on Friday, December 18th!
