Filming of new episodes of “The Grand Tour,” Amazon Prime’s car show presented by former “Top Gear” hosts Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May, looks set to end shortly.
A day after multiple reports in the U.K. claimed the three hosts would wrap up filming following the completion of a final episode set in Zimbabwe, Clarkson took to social media on Thursday to confirm that there would be “no more Grand Tour” after 2024.
The news comes just a week after Top Gear was put on hiatus for the “foreseeable future” by its producer, the BBC, due in part to a crash that left current host Andrew Flintoff with multiple facial injuries.
There has been no official comment from Amazon on the future of The Grand Tour, though it’s possible the show could stay alive with new hosts, similar to Top Gear, though Clarkson’s social media post seems to indicate that the show is indeed ending.
Instagram post by Jeremy Clarkson on November 30, 2023
It was first reported in January that The Grand Tour, which is currently into its fifth season, was set to be axed after 2024. That report came after Clarkson made scathing comments about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Duke and Duchess of Sussex, in a Dec. 16 article for The Sun, which the newspaper removed, leading to suggestions that Clarkson may be fired.
However, Clarkson won’t cut ties with Amazon after quitting The Grand Tour. In the same social media post, Clarkson said his standalone show on Amazon Prime, “Clarkson’s Farm,” has been renewed for a fourth season, which will follow season three in 2024.
The Grand Tour proved to be a hit on Amazon Prime, which led to all three hosts getting standalone shows on the streaming service. May’s “James May: Our Man in…” and Hammond’s “The Great Escapists” are also set to continue filming.
The Grand Tour first appeared on Amazon Prime in 2016 but went on hiatus after 2021 due to difficulties in filming new episodes caused by pandemic-related travel restrictions. Amazon Prime originally snagged Clarkson for the show, together with Hammond and May, after Clarkson was fired by the BBC due to his 2015 attack on a fellow Top Gear staff member.
