Back in 2002, when the BBC launched a reboot of its motoring show, Top Gear, producers had to scour the side alleys of TV to find its presenting trio. Jeremy Clarkson, who co-devised the format, was best known for presenting Robot Wars. Richard Hammond appeared on the dodgy-sounding satellite channel, Men & Motors. And James May, who joined in the second series, had been languishing on Channel 4, co-hosting their rival show, Driven. The casting proved inspired, but times have changed. It’s perhaps no surprise then, that Amazon’s reboot of The Grand Tour – the last great vehicle for Clarkson, Hammond and May – has plucked its stars from that new gold mine: social media.
They are James Engelsman and Thomas Holland – really? Another famous Thomas Holland(er)? – the YouTubers behind Throttle House, a leading channel for petrolheads, and Francis Bourgeois, a trainspotting TikToker who exploded into prominence during the pandemic. Together, the trio will travel the world, embarking on car-fuelled adventures and hoping that some of that old chemistry rubs off. “Have fun with this,” Clarkson advises, as the new trio arrive at Diddly Squat Farm for some convenient cross-promotion, “and don’t f*** it up!”
