James May: ‘The Grand Tour forced us to ditch old Top Gear ideas’

The host says moving to Amazon with Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond has ‘refreshed’ them
Fresh: the move to Amazon has revitalised the former Top Gear trio, says James May
Amazon

James May today revealed his relief at being forced to ditch the “old ideas” of Top Gear as its successor The Grand Tour launched to rave reviews.

The first episode of the motoring show was streamed on Amazon Prime Video last night, just over a year and a half after May and his co-presenters Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond left the BBC following Clarkson’s notorious “fracas” with a producer.

The BBC’s legal ownership of the Top Gear format meant that familiar “trademarks” — such as racing driver The Stig and the Star In A Reasonably-Priced Car feature — could not be included.

Amazon was even advised that filming the programme in a studio could be in breach of the BBC’s intellectual property rights, forcing producers to make each of the first series’ 12 episodes in a tent in a different location around the world.

The Grand Tour Debut Episode

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But May, 53, told the Christian O’Connell Breakfast Show on Absolute Radio: “In some ways it’s a relief, because it has forced a rethink and it has refreshed us, which is something we should probably have done but which we wouldn’t have done had we stayed where we were because there would have been no incentive to.

“It’s good for everybody — it also leaves the old ideas behind for someone else to take over and re-format those ideas as well. Obviously it’s not completely different, it’s still us driving around in cars and being rude about each other and so on.”

He admitted to having “a bit of a lie-down” before watching the new show, which started with a glum Clarkson, 56, emerging from a “BBC” office in rainy London and being forced to hand in his work pass before flying to California.

The first episode, in the US state’s Mojave desert, received a rapturous reception from “petrolhead” fans of Top Gear and reviewers. The spectacular opening sequence was estimated to have cost £2.5 million. New episodes will be available each Friday.

Hammond, 46, admitted their return to screens had been emotional after the trauma of the split with the BBC. He told ITV’s Good Morning Britain: “We worked hard to make it the best we can do. We’re fools really, but we want to make something that we’re proud of.”

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