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The new presenters for the next series of The Grand Tour have been announced and already the comments section of, well, almost everything, is full of the usual vitriol.
“They’ll never measure up to Jeremy, James and Richard.”
“Nope. That show ended with the trio leaving.”
“I watched because JC, RH and JM were in it. Top Gear failed when they left and I've no doubt this will as well.”
I can’t state this bluntly enough – these comments are why new television shows on cars are not being commissioned.
Two of the new hosts, James Engelsman and Thomas Holland, have been brilliant as hosts of Throttle House, and bring an energy and a camaraderie to screen that’s proven a winner with online viewers. Over 3.36 million subscribers clearly think they have something to offer.
The other, Francis Bourgeois, is an ex-Rolls-Royce engineer who brings a very different level of infectious nerdiness. He’s a left-field choice, but an intriguing one.
But this will never work if we write these guys off because they’re not Jeremy, James and Richard.
It’s as facile an argument as claiming that every Audi since the ur-Quattro or every Jaguar since the E-Type is, by definition, meritless and not worthy of consideration.
Let’s be a bit better than that and give them a fair go.
It could still be a car crash. Maybe not of the scale of working alongside Chris Evans on the rebooted Top Gear, or even the final days of that show (Chris Harris notably excepted), but perhaps we ought to try to take the new series of The Grand Tour on face value.
We deserve great car shows on television, but all too often commissioning editors are gun-shy because viewers pour scorn on any putative successors to Clarkson, Hammond and May.
Advertisers are swayed by cratering viewing figures and the whole catastrophic cycle goes straight down the gurgler.
Yes, Clarkson, Hammond and May were brilliant hosts and set an incredibly high bar. But even if Engelsman, Holland and Bourgeois don’t manage to measure up to that standard, I’m betting that they’ll still be worth watching.
As a wise person once said, comparison is the thief of joy.
Take them on their own merits and it’ll be better for them, it’ll be better for you and supporting this car show will increase the likelihood of more car shows being commissioned. That can only be a virtuous circle, right?
If you love cars, and want to see more big-budget, car-themed productions, stop clinging to the memories of Clarkson, Hammond and May.
Andy brings almost 30 years automotive writing experience to his role at Drive. When he wasn’t showing people which way the Nürburgring went, he freelanced for outlets such as Car, Autocar, and The Times. After contributing to Top Gear Australia, Andy subsequently moved Down Under, serving as editor at MOTOR and Wheels. As Drive’s Road Test Editor, he’s at the heart of our vehicle testing, but also loves to spin a long-form yarn.
