Very soon, the last episode of The Grand Tour fronted by Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May will air, bringing with it an end to 21 years of car TV fronted by one of the most recognisable, much-loved trios around.
While the episode’s not far off, details on it are still scarce for now, but we’ve pieced together everything we know about this era-closing special so far.
When Is The Grand Tour Final Episode Airing?
The Grand Tour: Carnage A Trois
This is something Amazon is keeping close to its chest, but James May – in a move we’re sure pleased Amazon’s PR team – all but confirmed that it would be coming out in September during his appearance on the BBC’s Today podcast.
“I’m not allowed to tell you what date it’s coming out, so I won’t say that it’s September,” he told the presenters. “I can say anything I want now, frankly.”
There’s still no official confirmation, though, so we can’t take this totally for granted. However, if true, then we’re now into late August, meaning we don’t have long to wait, and full confirmation and a trailer could arrive any day now.
Where Will The Grand Tour Final Episode Be Set?
The Grand Tour: Sand Job
We’ve known this for a while – it’s going to take place in the southern African nation of Zimbabwe, and was filmed there during September 2023.
As an aside, this is an area that the trio are no strangers to. Mozambique, which borders Zimbabwe to the east, was the setting for The Grand Tour’s Feed the World special, while the Top Gear special that gave us Oliver was filmed in Botswana, immediately to the west.
What Cars Will The Grand Tour Final Episode Feature?
The Grand Tour: Eurocrash
Images captured during the episode’s production and posted on the Top Gear Wiki appear to confirm that the star cars of the episode will be a trio of British-registered ’70s classics: a Lancia Beta Montecarlo, a Mk1 Ford Capri, and a Triumph Stag.
We don’t yet know why these particular cars were chosen, but it looks as if Clarkson will be in the Lancia, Hammond in the Ford and May in the Triumph.
Could The Grand Tour Continue Without Clarkson, Hammond and May?
The Grand Tour: Carnage A Trois
We can, sadly, be sure that this is the final episode featuring Clarkson, Hammond and May. That’s been known since late last year, when the trio announced that they’d be bringing their time on the show to a close. Clarkson went on to detail the reasons behind their decision in an interview with The Times this year.
However, Amazon has previously called it “the final special of The Grand Tour with the trio,” wording that suggested the show could continue in some form. That wording gained more traction earlier this year when TV industry publication Broadcast reported that the show was set to continue with a new format, production team and presenting lineup.
If true, then we’re no closer to knowing anything about what the rebooted show could look like, or who might front it, but the episode may not be the end of the road entirely for The Grand Tour.
Will Clarkson, Hammond And May Do Anything Else Together?
Clarkson’s Farm
We wouldn’t get our hopes up if we were you. On his appearance on the Today podcast, May called it “pretty unlikely” that the trio would work together again, especially on another automotive show. In addition, the production company the three formed for the show – together with long-time producer Andy Wilman – was recently wound up.
It brings to a close 21 years of the trio working together on TV. However, it’s far from the last we’ll be hearing from them as individuals. There’s at least one more series of the hugely successful Clarkson’s Farm to come, likely at some point in 2025, and he continues to host Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?
May looks set to be busier than ever – he’ll be fronting a new Channel 5 show called The Great Explorers, in which he’ll chart the journeys of several of the world’s most famous adventurers and explorers; as well as a new programme on Quest called James May and the Dull Men’s Club. There are also possibly more series of his Our Man In… travelogue series to come.
Hammond, meanwhile, has a fourth series of Richard Hammond’s Workshop debuting later this month. He’s also started hosting a mental health-centric podcast, Who We Are Now, with his daughter Izzy.
