Inside Grand Tour’s return as daring new line-up take the wheel – and why they’re more than a match for Clarkson & Co

HIRING influencers to take over from Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond as hosts of The Grand Tour was a decision met with raised eyebrows. And among those most surprised by the move was executive producer Andy Wilman, the man who ­created the hit Prime Video show with his old school pal Jezza. YouTubers Thomas Holland, James Engelsman and Francis Bourgeois are the new Grand Tour line-up Credit: RORY MULVEY The influencers are replacing Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond as hosts of the show Credit: PA When his team first suggested getting YouTubers Thomas Holland and James Engelsman on board, he understood because they were obvious petrolheads. But then they proposed completing the line-up with eccentric rail geek Francis Bourgeois. Andy recalls: “They went, ‘What about Francis?’. I was like, ‘The train guy? Are you f***ing joking?’. “They said, ‘Watch him and you’ll see’. I did and I was like, ‘St, am I wrong?’. He’s so good and his knowledge of cars is as good as his knowledge for trains, if not more. “His authenticity is there. He’s himself and it’s natural. “It felt like when James joined Richard and Jeremy. He slots in perfectly to an existing relationship. He keeps his own identity.” Andy sounds gleeful as he prepares for The Grand Tour‘s return next month — its first outing since Jeremy, James and Richard, who was nicknamed Hamster, hung up their driving gloves in 2024. The separation was announced in 2023 before the final instalments of the sixth series had even dropped on Prime Video. All three of them felt like the time was right and they wanted to go out on a high. Unique chemistry But Amazon did not necessarily see it as the end of the road and never ruled out bringing the show back in some form. Now, Jeremy, James and Richard, who fronted six series spanning eight years, are delighted to be handing over the keys to motoring geeks whose only real fame so far is among their millions of online followers. Andy, often referred to as “the fourth member” of The Grand Tour hosting crew, says: “The first thing that’s important when casting hosts is credibility. “Car shows sometimes make the mistake of going, ‘I’m going to get this famous person who likes cars’. “And that’s not the same as getting someone with credibility. That’s just someone who can afford nice cars. “Richard, James and Jeremy always had this thing where they had as much love for a £100 s**t car as they did for a Ferrari because they love every aspect of it all. These three new hosts are the same.” And there is no doubting their credentials or commitment. Thomas and James have their own YouTube channel, Throttle House, where they indulge in anything with wheels and an engine. It pulls in a huge 3.4million subscribers. Meanwhile, Francis has an Instagram account with 2.7million followers, not to mention the 3.4million who love him on TikTok — where he is seen meeting celebrity fans including Thierry Henry and the Prince and Princess of Wales. Now their careers will shift up a gear with The Grand Tour which, through Prime Video, will launch globally in more than 240 countries and territories. Despite the huge exposure that awaits them, the new kids are anything but fame-hungry showbiz wannabes, insists Andy. He says: “Their passion and their knowledge is deep and rooted. “It’s not like, ‘I’m a TV presenter and my next job is a car show’. They are not even close to that world. “They are genuine and authentic. You can see this is what they do for a living. It’s not like they’re doing this and then next week they’re doing a travel show or something. Despite the huge exposure that awaits the trio, the new kids are anything but fame-hungry showbiz wannabes, insists executive producer Andy Wilman Credit: Prime Thomas and James are obvious ­petrolheads, and Francis is an eccentric rail geek Credit: Prime “The other thing is these three are bright. A lot of presenters get given their words to say. “Richard, James and Jeremy thought of everything they said and the viewers knew it. “So it was important that these new guys were the same. You can’t tell them what to say. They say what they want to say. They say what they think about the cars.” He adds: “It was important that they were not famous. If you get famous people, you’ll get people tuning in for them, but that’s short-lived. “It looks good on a poster for the first episode, and then you’re left thinking, ‘What else have we got?’. James and Richard were nobodies, relatively, at the beginning of Top Gear. “But it builds over time because viewers think, ‘I want to watch that’. “If you get hosts who aren’t famous, there’s no baggage.” The Grand Tour returns next month for the first time since Jeremy, James and Richard hung up their driving gloves in 2024 Credit: Prime Andy is often referred to as ‘the fourth member’ of The Grand Tour hosting crew Credit: Supplied Mention of Top Gear, which Wilman successfully rebooted with Jeremy in 2002, naturally conjures up the memory of the presenting trio at the helm when the show ended 20 years later. They were motoring journalist Chris Harris, comedian Paddy McGuinness and cricket ace Freddie Flintoff. The programme was shelved after Freddie’s horrific crash at Dunsfold Aerodrome in 2022. Only now is the BBC starting to implement plans to bring it back, though it is unlikely to be on our screens before 2027, perhaps 2028. At the beginning of his Top Gear tenure, Andy had to patiently wait for Jezza, Richard and James to nurture a unique chemistry. It became one which would captivate millions of viewers. At its peak in 2015, the show had three million YouTube subscribers and a magazine with 1.7million readers. In 2012, it set a Guinness World Record as the most-watched factual TV show on the planet. It was not all achieved overnight, though. Andy recalls: “They had three years to become the trio everyone knew. “If you look at the first series of Top Gear they did, it was a bit stilted. It built over time. The BBC gave us time to do that.” He has, perhaps, even more admiration for the new trio on The Grand Tour because they have launched their careers online, where it is almost tougher to make a breakthrough. Andy said: “In the streamer world, you’re f*d. You haven’t got that time. It’s got to happen. “You need people with chemistry out of the traps that isn’t fake. And the new guys have it. There is humour. Two of them have known each other for years. It’s like mates. “It’s authentic. They’re not doing banter for the camera. They have natural chemistry together.” Another reason for the smooth handover of power from the old trio is the fact that Jeremy had always wanted the newbies to be genuine motoring enthusiasts. Two years ago, when the future of The Grand Tour was still being decided, he said: “My advice to Amazon would be — and I’ve given this to them already — for heaven’s sake, do not get well-known people who ‘like’ cars. “Because when you do that show, it has to be your life. No, you can’t open supermarkets. No, you can’t appear on another show. If you’re not actually filming, you’re thinking about what the next thing is that you’re going to film. It has to be all-consuming. “But there’s no point hiring, you know, somebody who ‘likes’ cars. Because that’s not enough. “I would get three complete unknowns. Start small, like we did. They’ve got to be absolute petrolheads. “I’ve got to be able to show them a picture of a quarter of a door mirror from any car ever made, and they’ve got to know what it is. I’d go to motoring journalists — James, Richard and I are all motoring journalists. “That would be my advice if you want to continue with it, and I would hope that Amazon do continue with it. “You’ve got to have someone who does nothing but think about the show. I was completely engrossed in that show.” So Jeremy, James and Richard could not be more pleased with the new boys, which is why all three of them, at various stages in the series, will have guest appearances to make it clear they wish them well. Andy says: “We’ve got behind them, we’re really supporting them. “And our guys are in the shows doing cameos, so we’re wishing them well and want to pass that baton on.” The Grand Tour returns to Prime Video on September 4. TRIO ARE WORTHY HEIRS TO CROWN IF some sadistic part of you was hoping the crazy fools at Prime Video had enlisted three lame ducks to replace Clarkson, Hammond and May, then you’ll be sorely disappointed. Not only have they achieved the feat of finding worthy heirs to present The Grand Tour, but they have performed the minor miracle of landing a trio who could future- proof the show for years to come. I was one of the first journalists to catch a glimpse of the new series this week, and the most striking thing about Francis, Thomas and James is how similar they are to their predecessors. Sure, they are younger, come from a slightly different background and will attract a whole new audience to the show. But they also stand a chance of holding on to the old one, too. Because Thomas is, like Jezza, the daddy of the group, while Francis is the May-esque nerd and James the handsome but hapless Hammond 2.0. Crucially, what the old generation and new generation of Grand Tour hosts all have in common is that they’re essentially a bunch of car-loving schoolboys in grown men’s bodies. None of them can hide their excitement at being let loose on some of the fastest and most expensive motors on the planet. That raw, heart-pumping and, at times, plain silly enthusiasm is so obvious in the gleeful faces of the new hosts. It’s there whether they are pushing some old bangers down hills or tearing around a race track in supercars. And not only do they really know their stuff, all they really care about is the cars. Nothing else. That was always the secret weapon of their forebears, too. With show rookies at the wheel, the new series of The Grand Tour could have been car crash TV. Thankfully, it’s a non-stop joyride.