UNEXPECTED GUEST The Grand Tour’s ‘younger & cooler’ new lineup revealed after Jeremy Clarkson quit – including HUGE social media star
THE Grand Tour’s replacements for Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May have been revealed by insiders.
Prime Video bosses have turned to petrol-head YouTube stars Thomas Holland and James Engelsman, plus social media sensation Francis Bourgeois.
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Canadian Thomas Holland, above, and James Engelsman’s Throttle House brand has 3.2m subscribers
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The duo’s videos, including road tests and reviews, regularly get more than 2.5m views – above James Engelsman
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Francis Bourgeois has become a viral sensation thanks to his love of trainspottingCredit: Rex
A source said: “Thomas and James are as knowledgeable about motors as Jeremy, Richard and James — the only difference is they’re younger, cooler and a lot more social media savvy.
“Francis became famous for his love of trainspotting and will be bringing his humour to the show.”
Canadian Thomas and Brit James’ Throttle House brand has 3.2million subscribers.
Biology graduate Thomas launched the channel in 2015 “out of boredom” and fan James joined three years later after meeting in Toronto.
Their videos, including road tests and reviews, regularly get more than 2.5million views.
The Sun revealed London-born Francis, 24, was in talks to join the line-up in March.
His trainspotting videos went viral in 2021 and he has interviewed stars including Jesse Lingard, AJ Tracey, Tom Daley and Louis Theroux.
Francis, real name Luke Magnus Nicolson, has 2.4million followers on Instagram and another 3.3million on TikTok.
The trainspotter studied mechanical engineering at the University of Nottingham and was briefly hired by Rolls-Royce.
He was also invited by Palace aides in 2023 to meet the Prince and Princess of Wales as the royal couple travelled on the Elizabeth line in London.
Jeremy, Richard and James filmed their final episode of the hit Prime show last year after six series.
During their final trip, titled One for the Road, Jeremy revealed a reason for wanting to wrap up the programme – his disinterest in electric cars which he branded “s**t”.
Previously, writing in The Sunday Times, he said: “After 36 years of talking about cars on television, I’m packing it in, because I’m too old and too fat to get into the cars I like and not interested in driving those I don’t.”
At a screening for the final Grand Tour episode, the star admitted: “It gets you tonight, it is the end. It didn’t at the end of filming.
“We said three years ago we would do one more then end it.
“We had driven cars higher and faster than anyone else so we did wonder what else we could do with a car.
“We had run out of places to go, we had run out of things to do. And I had got fat.”
Having launched in 2016, The Grand Tour began after its three stars departed BBC hit Top Gear.
The Grand Tour’s final episode sees Jeremy Clarkson send a car over the edge of a cliff
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The trio are replacing Jeremy Clarkson, middle, James May, left and Richard Hammond, rightCredit: Handout
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The final episode of The Grand Tour with the original trio was filmed last yearCredit: YouTube
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Jeremy and James on one of their last outings togetherCredit: PA
The Grand Tour episode guide
How many seasons of The Grand Tour are there and where do they take place?
The Grand Tour launched on Prime Video in 2016 and quickly became one of the streamer’s biggest hits as hosts Jeremy, 63, James, 60, and Richard, 52, felt it was time they move on from Top Gear hit the road.
They have now brought five epic series of motoring adventures to the small screen, each taking place in different locations and even featuring celebrity guests.
Series 1
Series 1 aired from 2016 to 2017 and took the presenters to a number of foreign locales, including Jordan, Morocco and Italy.
The series is comprised of 13 episodes, with episodes 7 and 8 making up a two-part special set in Namibia, where the trio embarked on an epic beach buggy challenge.
Series 2
Jeremy, Richard and James returned for more motoring actor in series 2, and drove their way across Europe as they tested out some of their dream vehicles like the Bugatti Chiron and the McLaren 720S.
This series, which aired from 2017 to 2018, is made up of 11 episodes. It features regular ‘studio segments’ filmed in the team’s permanent tent in the Cotswolds, and had regular participation from celebrities with two guests going head-to-head on timed laps every episode.
Series 3
In 2019, the presenting trio crossed continents – from North America, to South America, to Europe and Asia – putting both new vehicles and classic sports cars through their paces.
This series was the last to feature the regular studio segments, car reviews and timed laps.
To mark the end of this era the final episode’s last segment includes a montage of scenes featuring the presenters over the course of their career as a trio, not only from this programme, but also from their time hosting Top Gear.
Series 4
This series marked a complete change in format for The Grand Tour as it consists entirely for feature-length specials which aired between 2019 and 2021.
The first two chronicle Jeremy, Richard and James’ epic adventures across Asia and Africa, while the third and fourth episodes saw them put foreign cars to the test on their home turf. And fitting American vehicles through Scottish roads is no easy feat.
Series 5
Following the same format as series 4, the fifth and final series of The Grand Tour also consists of four feature-length specials.
The first of these hits screens in 2022 and follows the trio as they travelled through Norway, Sweden and Finland in three Rally-Inspired Sports Saloons.
The second episode was another Euro adventure while the third took the presenters back to Africa.
The fourth instalment of the series and final ever episode of The Grand Tour, titled One for the Road, premieres on September 13, 2024. It promises to be an emotional one as the trio set out on one epic final adventure in Zimbabwe and reflect on their 22-year-long working relationship and friendship.
