Alright, so the name is finally out. The new Amazon Prime show that the world has been waiting for, for months has been named ‘The Grand Tour’. The famed trio of Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May will make a comeback with the new show, an Amazon Prime Original. The first episode of the much anticipated series will be aired in fall (around September). Oh, and did we tell you, The Grand Tour doesn’t have anything to do with the reverse leading letters of Top Gear; or maybe it does, we’ll never know, or maybe we will.
One thing is for certain, though – that name reflects the galactic aspirations of the show, and its plans to be even grander than the uncontrollable juggernaut Top Gear was. According to Jay Marine, vice president, Amazon Video Europe “after nine months of deep thought, debate and deliberation, the guys have come up with a name that reflects the global ambition of the new show. The Grand Tour will be one of the most anticipated TV launches ever, and we’re excited to be bringing it to Amazon Prime customers around the world this autumn.”
For now, the plan is to air three seasons of the show with 12 episodes each. The theme of the show seems very travel oriented with the three musketeers slated to roam around the world and entertain their fans along the way.
The Grand Tour has also released a video on its Facebook page showing the funny names the trio apparently trashed before settling on, well, the name we just disclosed. The names which were considered included “Automates”, “A Small Puddle of Excellence” and “The Ace Biscuit” among others.
This time around, the theme will not be overly car centric though, by the look of it. The show exhibits an inclination to have a wider appeal than just motoring aficionados. We are not sure whether the series will be released episode by episode or all episodes will come out in one go; as has happened in the past with some series from Amazon and Netflix.
The show has apparently been created at a production cost of a whopping £160m for the three seasons. The production company, namely, W Chump & Sons has the trio as the head honchos along with noted producer Andy Wilman.
The timing of the unveiling of the new series’ name comes at an interesting point in time, as BBC is just a few weeks away from launching its own Top Gear with a new set of hosts. While there’s no official word on this, but some reports are already citing trouble within the new team with Chris Evans being alleged to be a bully.
Here’s what the likeable Trio from the previous Top Gear show has to say about the new show
Jeremy Clarkson
“Thing is, we’ll be travelling the world hosting each episode in a different country, from a giant tent. It’s a sort of ‘grand tour’, if you like. So we’ve decided to call it The Grand Tour.”
Richard Hammond
“We’ve got a name. And it was bleeding obvious cos it’s what we’re doing: coming from a different place every week”
James May was in a rather moaning mood
“I’m sorry if your name wasn’t used for our new show. But neither were any of mine” (one of his suggestions was ‘Nigel)
A name that brings cheer and excitement, or too safe a choice for the madness this trio has exhibited in the past? Do share your opinions with us.