Jeremy Clarkson reveals how Clarkson’s Farm saved him after ’emotional’ farewell to The Grand Tour
JEREMY Clarkson shared how Clarkson’s Farm saved him during The Grand Tour’s ’emotional’ ending.
The popular Prime Video motoring programme will air its finale on September 13, having launched in 2016.
Titled “One for the Road”, the epic event will also mark the ending of Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May‘s 22-year on-screen collaboration.
Jeremy, 64, admitted he was “surprisingly unemotional” – as he would be able to reunite with his co-stars “any time” he wants to.
The star added: “Where I would have been emotional was saying goodbye to the crew because most of them started with us.
“There’s a photograph taken on Kubu Island of Russ Edwards and Casper Leaver (Camera Operator) and Andy Wilman, who were there on the original crew, and they’re still with us. You can’t say that about any other show.
“We are a dysfunctional family, and I’d miss that, except for one tiny detail.
“There I was with all these guys that I’ve known and worked with for twenty-four years and I said, “I’ll see you all on Monday morning” because they all work on Clarkson’s Farm.
“I’m 100 per cent convinced I would have been a lot more emotional without the farm show.”
As for whether the others got misty-eyed, Jeremy shared: “I’m not saying this in a derogatory way by any means, but James has the emotions of a stone.
“He just doesn’t do emotions, so there were no tears from him. Hammond, yes.”
The Grand Tour began after Jeremy, Richard and James all left BBC‘s Top Gear in 2015.
Joined by executive producer Andy Wilman, the show is ending its run after 46 episodes.
Ahead of the final outing, Prime Video released a trailer giving fans a sneak-peek at the group’s last motoring adventure.
In the emotional clip, Richard appears to well up as he says: “I never thought that what we do together would go on as it has.”
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.
While Jeremy addresses their epic final adventure in Zimbabwe, saying, “we really did save the best to last.”
It was reported last year that the trio had quit The Grand Tour, ending the show after eight years.
Writing in The Sunday Times, Jeremy penned: “After 36 years of talking about cars on television, I’m packing it in, because I’m too old and fat to get into the cars that I like and not interested in driving those I don’t.”
The final episode of The Grand Tour will begin streaming on September 13. All previous episodes are available to stream on Prime Video.