Industry publication Broadcast reports that Lambert will take over from original producers Grand Tour Productions which was set up when Clarkson, Hammond and May moved from Top Gear on the BBC in 2015. The trio recently announced they had filmed their final episode.
It’s understood the format will be ‘updated’ and will have a new line-up of presenters, though the series is yet to be formally commissioned or announced by Amazon. Further details about the new series will be announced in due course.
The Sun previously reported that Clarkson, Hammond and May are “happy” with Amazon potentially continuing the series without them.
A source told The Sun: “It’s a surprising decision and everyone realises it very much marks the end of an era for the three presenters. The Grand Tour is one of Prime Video’s most watched shows and Jeremy, James and Richard have a devoted following…
“But the guys have made no bones about the fact they’re all advancing in years and they have lots of other projects to pursue. They just felt like the time was right and wanted to go out on a high when the show remained popular.”
The Grand Tour has been hosted by former Top Gear trio Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May across five seasons, the final episodes of which are set to air later this year.
UK-based Expectation had produced the series until now, but Gogglebox and Squid Game: The Challenge firm Studio Lambert will now move forward with development, although a formal greenlight is yet to be made.
The future of The Grand Tour has been unclear for months, with its current presenting trio confirming last year that they would be stepping away from the show in the wake of Clarkson’s newspaper column about Meghan Markle.
Prime Video’s UK unscripted lead Fozia Khan subsequently said late last year that The Grand Tour had come to its “natural end” in its current guise, but that the streamer was exploring how it could continue with new hosts.
Previous episodes of The Grand Tour are available on Prime Video.
Published in TV & Films
