Jeremy Clarkson’s warning to Grand Tour replacements revealed as trio prepare to take over Prime Video show
Jeremy Clarkson offered the new presenters of The Grand Tour some unfiltered advice before they took over the hit motoring series.
Francis Bourgeois, Thomas Holland and James Engelsman appeared on The One Show today ahead of the revamped programme’s launch on Prime Video.
During their appearance, Mr Engelsman revealed the Clarkson’s Farm star had shared a few words of wisdom with the trio as they prepared to inherit the show he fronted alongside Richard Hammond and James May.
However, the presenter admitted Mr Clarkson’s choice of words meant he couldn’t repeat the advice on the BBC.
Francis Bourgeois, Thomas Holland and James Engelsman are taking over The Grand Tour for its new series
|
BBC
“Those who know Jeremy Clarkson know that he doesn’t mince his words, and the advice he gave us was concise and not appropriate for the BBC,” Mr Engelsman told viewers.
The admission left audiences guessing about precisely what the famously outspoken 66-year-old had told the trio tasked with filling one of television’s most daunting vacancies.
Mr Bourgeois is perhaps the most unexpected addition to the new line-up.
The 24-year-old, whose real name is Luke Nicolson, became a social media sensation through his enthusiastic trainspotting videos on TikTok and Instagram, attracting millions of followers and celebrity cameos from the likes of Joe Jonas and the Prince and Princess of Wales.
Jeremy Clarkson offered the new Grand Tour presenters some blunt advice
|
GETTY
Reflecting on the unlikely career move, Mr Bourgeois joked five years ago, being told he would one day replace Mr Clarkson and company would have made him question “what kind of mushrooms were on my al funghi pizza”.
Mr Holland and Mr Engelsman, meanwhile, are the duo behind popular YouTube motoring channel Throttle House.
Canadian-born Mr Holland, a biology graduate, launched the channel in 2015 “out of boredom”, with British-born Mr Engelsman joining three years later.
Mr Holland acknowledged “there was a lot of trepidation and fear” when he was first approached about taking on The Grand Tour, although he conceded: “Obviously I was going to do it.”
James Engelsman revealed Jeremy Clarkson’s advice was ‘not appropriate for BBC’ during the trio’s appearance on The One Show
|
GETTY
Despite Mr Clarkson’s unrepeatable counsel, all three of the programme’s original presenters have been encouraging towards their successors.
Mr Bourgeois previously revealed Mr Clarkson, Mr Hammond and Mr May had been “very supportive, very warm, very open” about the new team taking over.
He said their message had been: “Go ahead, make it your own.”
Mr Holland recalled Mr May’s message boiling down to: “Don’t ask me, just do your thing.”
Comparing the former Top Gear star’s guidance to that of a Jedi master, Mr Holland added: “It was the right thing to hear. It was like Yoda.”
Mr Engelsman has also vouched for Mr Bourgeois’s perhaps surprising automotive credentials, describing his knowledge as “a huge green flag early on”.
Before finding fame through his trainspotting videos, Mr Bourgeois spent six months working as a mechanical engineer at Rolls-Royce.
The new hosts are acutely aware of the formidable legacy they have inherited.
The new Grand Tour trio appeared on The One Show ahead of the revamped series launching on Prime Video
|
BBC
Mr Clarkson, Mr Hammond and Mr May’s on-screen partnership spanned more than two decades, beginning on Top Gear, where their combination of car reviews, ambitious challenges and relentless banter helped transform the BBC programme into a global hit.
After Mr Clarkson departed from Top Gear in 2015, Mr Hammond and Mr May followed him out of the programme.
The three later reunited with producer Andy Wilman to launch The Grand Tour on Amazon in 2016, going on to produce five seasons of motoring adventures around the world.
Their final outing, The Grand Tour: One For The Road, saw the trio travel through Zimbabwe and Botswana in 2024 for an emotional farewell.
The original trio’s on-screen partnership stretched across more than two decades
|
GETTY
Mr Engelsman admitted stepping into their shoes had been “very daunting”, given how much the programme means both to its loyal audience and the presenters who established it.
The new six-part series premieres on Prime Video tomorrow, taking Mr Bourgeois, Mr Holland and Mr Engelsman to destinations including California, Malaysia and Angola.
Mr Holland has urged sceptical fans to “give it a go”, while Mr Bourgeois insisted the team had been careful to keep their enthusiasm for cars at the heart of the revamped series.
Comments are closed.