Yahoo News What to expect from the final episode of The Grand Tour
One last special will air later this year
The Grand Tour is nearing the end of the road, but there will be one more special before Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May park the motoring show.
The Amazon Prime Video series started in 2016 but in late 2023 it was confirmed that the programme was set to end with two final specials. Penultimate episode Sand Job aired earlier this year and the last is set to come.
May has now spilled the beans about when fans might expect it, saying on BBC Radio 4's Today podcast: “There’s still a big special to come which is going to come later this year, but I’m not allowed to tell you what date it’s coming out. I think. So I won’t say it. It’s September." "I can say anything I want now, frankly," he laughed.
So what can we expect from the trio’s last outing? And will they ever bring The Grand Tour back?
Where was the special filmed and what will it involve?
The final special will be in Zimbabwe and we now know that it will air in the autumn.
It’s also fair to assume the episode will include its usual mix of incredible cars, adventure and friendly banter between Clarkson, May and Hammond, who have been making car shows together for years after teaming up on Top Gear more than 20 years ago.
The trio filmed the show in September 2023 but have kept pretty quiet about the details. However, there have been a few hints, like a snap on social media of the stars sitting in the desert, and Clarkson’s comment on X about some of the roads they travelled on.
“My profound thanks to the people and Government of Zimbabwe for helping to make a very special Grand Tour special, very special,” he posted. “We absolutely adored everything about your country. Apart from the potholes maybe.”
My profound thanks to the people and government of Zimbabwe for helping to make a very special Grand Tour special, very special. We absolutely adored everything about your country. Apart from the pot holes maybe.
— Jeremy Clarkson (@JeremyClarkson) October 3, 2023
It’s also known that the presenters ended up a bit stuck after a problem with their flight home after shooting. Clarkson wrote about it on social media, telling fans on Instagram: “BA have messed up our flight home so we are marooned here at a luxury camp in Botswana. With only 40 staff. It’s all about survival now.”
May chimed in: "Grand tour presenters MAROONED in Botswana wildlife paradise following cancellation of BA flight home."
Although it’s not a definite, there are whisperings about the special involving the presenters traveling around Zimbabwe in a selection of classic 70s cars.
Will The Grand Tour ever return?
Fans of both Top Gear and The Grand Tour were dismayed when it was revealed the motoring show is ending, and there have been calls for the stars to make another car-focused show together again.
However, speaking on the podcast, May suggested it wasn’t that likely, saying “we're not going to make another series together about cars, no".
However, he then seemed to backtrack, saying: "Hang on, you should never say no, should you? Because that's a slightly trap question because that's one of those questions you always ask politician when you say, 'Well, you can't say no forever'. I think it is pretty unlikely."
Hammond previously told Yahoo that how to end the show was important to its stars.
“The key thing on that whole issue, [is] we had decided years ago that we wanted to be in control,” he said.
“Having set off on this incredible adventure that none of us thought would ever come our way, we all wanted to be the ones - and I don't just mean us three, all of us - to decide when and where and how we landed it, and we have done.”
