After being fired from the BBC for assaulting the producer of Top Gear, Jeremy Clarkson and the other presenters of the show made the decision to sign multi-million pound deals with Amazon to re-hash the same banter-filled car show on the retailing giant. And now they have announced its name – The Grand Tour.
“We’ll be travelling the world hosting each episode in a different country, from a giant tent,” Clarkson revealed. “It’s a sort of ‘grand tour’, if you like. So we’ve decided to call it The Grand Tour.”
Jokingly underwhelmed by the name, co-host James May added: “I wanted to call it Nigel or Roger. We needed a name, and they’re names.”
The show’s third host, Richard Hammond, was not available to comment.
The show, which will stream on Amazon’s Prime service (which is not currently available in Ireland), will follow the Top Gear model which turned the trio into worldwide stars; pre-recorded off-site segments featuring whacky challenges and expensive cars taking place in different locations worldwide will play in episodes broken up by segments filled in front of live studio audiences.
“Well, that took a while,” said Jay Marine, the vice-president of Amazon Video Europe. “After nine months of deep thought, debate and deliberation, the guys have come up with a name that reflects the global ambition of the new show. The Grand Tour will be one of the most anticipated TV launches ever.”
While the details of where the global tent segments will be filmed have not yet been revealed, the show’s producers said that the location schedule will be announced shortly. Those hoping to be in the audience will take part in a worldwide lottery for tickets.
Top Gear, along with its new presenters Chris Evans and Matt LeBlanc, will return to the BBC on May 29th.
