Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May are set to make surprise cameo appearances in the upcoming rebooted season of The Grand Tour on Prime Video to formally pass the baton to a new presenting trio.
- The Original Trio Returns: Jeremy Clarkson (66), Richard Hammond (56), and James May (63) will appear in cameos during the new seventh season to help launch the show’s next chapter.
- New Presenting Line-Up: Motoring YouTubers Thomas Holland and James Engelsman (Throttle House) alongside viral train enthusiast Francis Bourgeois take over as main hosts.
- Premiere Date: All six episodes of the rebooted series drop simultaneously on Prime Video on 4 September.
- Producer Endorsement: Series co-creator Andy Wilman confirmed the original stars are fully backing the fresh roster.
The Original Grand Tour Trio Reunite to Pass the Baton in Prime Video Reboot
Prime Video’s hit motoring franchise The Grand Tour is kicking off a brand-new era next month—and its legendary creators are making a surprise return to help usher it in.
Original hosts Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May are set to pop up in cameo roles when the rebooted seventh season debuts on 4 September. The appearances serve as a symbolic handover to the show’s new roster: Throttle House creators Thomas Holland and James Engelsman, alongside social media sensation and railway enthusiast Francis Bourgeois.
The news follows the trio’s emotional departure in late 2024 with their final special One for the Road, drawing a close to more than two decades of shared television history across both Top Gear and The Grand Tour. Since bowing out as full-time hosts, Clarkson has dominated streaming charts with Clarkson’s Farm, while Hammond and May have pursued individual broadcast and digital ventures.
Speaking at the Buckingham Literary Festival, The Grand Tour co-creator and executive producer Andy Wilman revealed that the original presenting team is fully behind the new cast.
Wilman said:
“We’ve got three guys coming soon with a new Grand Tour and we’ve got behind them. We’re really supporting them.”
He added:
“Our guys are in the shows doing cameos, so we’re wishing them well because we do want to pass that baton on.”
Addressing the decision to cast creators rooted deeply in car culture rather than mainstream TV figures—a contrast to past revivals like Top Gear‘s hiring of Freddie Flintoff and Paddy McGuinness—Wilman expanded on the production team’s philosophy during an interview with 3Bs Radio.
He added:
“When those three go away, you can’t parachute in three new, good presenters who are funny. That’s like describing the show over the phone to an alien – ‘You just need three funny blokes and they muck about’. It’s not going to work.”
The fresh strategy mirrors previous advice shared by Clarkson himself regarding how the series ought to evolve without its original leads.
Discussing the show’s future, Jeremy said:
“There’s no point hiring somebody who ‘likes’ cars. Because that’s not enough.”
He added:
“I would get three complete unknowns. Start small, like we did. They’ve got to be absolute petrolheads.”
Jeremy continued:
“I’ve got to be able to show them a picture of a quarter of a door mirror from any car ever made, and they’ve got to know what it is.
“That would be my advice.”
This upcoming release represents the very first full series of The Grand Tour without Clarkson, Hammond, and May taking center stage. Having first captured global attention together on BBC’s Top Gear before launching The Grand Tour on Prime Video in 2016, the trio defined modern automotive entertainment. Now, Holland, Engelsman, and Bourgeois step up from digital platforms to lead streaming TV’s biggest car show when all six episodes land on 4 September 2026.
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