Misplaced Pages

#790209

163-490: The Grand Tour is a British motoring television series, created by Jeremy Clarkson , Richard Hammond , James May , and Andy Wilman , for Amazon Prime Video , and premiered on 18 November 2016. The programme was devised in the wake of the departure of Clarkson, Hammond, May, and Wilman from the BBC television series Top Gear with an initial order of 36 episodes that were released over three years. The show initially followed

326-613: A Range Rover , a Lotus Exige evading missile lock from an Apache attack helicopter, a platoon of Irish Guardsmen shooting at a Porsche Boxster and Mercedes-Benz SLK , or using a Ford Fiesta as a Royal Marine landing craft. In October 2005, Clarkson visited British troops in Baghdad . In 2003, Clarkson presented The Victoria Cross: For Valour , looking at recipients of the Victoria Cross , in particular focusing on his father-in-law, Robert Henry Cain , who received

489-663: A VC for actions during the Battle of Arnhem in the Second World War . In 2007, Clarkson wrote and presented Jeremy Clarkson: Greatest Raid of All Time , a documentary about Operation Chariot in the Second World War, a 1942 Commando raid on the docks of Saint-Nazaire in occupied France. At the end of 2007, Clarkson became a patron of Help for Heroes , a charity aiming to raise money to provide better facilities to wounded British servicemen . His effort led to

652-432: A "picturesque place", the travellers also unconsciously degraded Italy as a place of backwardness. This unconscious degradation is best reflected in the famous verses of Lamartine in which Italy is depicted as a "land of the past... where everything sleeps." In Rome, antiquaries like Thomas Jenkins were also dealers and were able to sell and advise on the purchase of marbles ; their price would rise if it were known that

815-490: A "skillful propagandist for the motoring lobby" by The Economist . With a forthright and sometimes deadpan delivery, Clarkson is said to thrive on the notoriety his public comments bring, and has risen to the level of the bête noire of the various groups who disagree with his views. On the Channel 4 -organised viewer poll, for the 100 Worst Britons We Love to Hate programme, Clarkson polled in 66th place. By 2005, Clarkson

978-433: A March 2023 column for The Times , Clarkson criticised the response to JK Rowling 's comments on transgender issues, writing "she wasn't just cancelled . She was erased. They put her in the delete bin and then afterwards, all her former fans and even the actors and actresses she'd made famous emptied the bin into a landfill site." However, in the same article, Clarkson also argued that the existence of transgender people

1141-409: A US-like " United States of Europe ", with one army, one currency, and one unifying set of values. In 2019, Clarkson said: "Europe has to punish us—they can't allow us to leave without being damaged because then everyone will want to go. We don't want to go if we're going to be damaged." In a January 2019 interview with LBC , Clarkson called Brexit voters "coffin-dodging idiots", though also criticised

1304-817: A Venetian masked ball. Material relating to this can be found in the Brian Sewell Archive held by the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art . In 2009, the Grand Tour featured prominently in a BBC/PBS miniseries based on Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens . Set mainly in Venice, it portrayed the Grand Tour as a rite of passage. Kevin McCloud presented Kevin McCloud's Grand Tour on Channel 4 in 2009 with McCloud retracing

1467-437: A brick wall while making the 12th series of Top Gear in 2008. In 2014, he received a £4.8 million dividend and an £8.4 million share buyout from BBC Worldwide , bringing his estimated income for the year to more than £14 million. On 30 July 2015, it was announced that Clarkson, along with former Top Gear hosts Richard Hammond and James May would present a new show on Amazon Prime Video . The first season

1630-411: A challenge in which the presenters have to purchase a class of a vehicle and see which is the best through a series of tests given through text messages from the show's producer. Alongside these episodes, the programme's format between 2016 and 2019 also included special episodes in similar format to Top Gear specials , focused on the presenters on journeys in a specific type of vehicle or class all over

1793-477: A deal with Amazon to develop a new car show that followed a similar format as Top Gear , with both Hammond and May joining him as co-hosts, and Wilman producing. Other personnel from Top Gear going to the new show included director Phil Churchward, the husband of Fifth Gear ' s Vicki Butler-Henderson . The deal included 36 episodes across three series which would be available to Amazon Prime members starting in 2016. Wilman stated that Amazon promised them to have

SECTION 10

#1732790211791

1956-466: A discussion period on various topics within a segment entitled "Conversation Street", which had a running gag of opening with an intro of the presenters in silhouette doing something comedic and/or unusual. Celebrities were not initially part of the programme to begin with, due to concerns over legal issues that the BBC could raise if it competed against the celebrity format used in Top Gear . As such,

2119-509: A format similar to Top Gear , including car reviews and timed laps, motoring challenges and races, studio segments, and celebrity guests, with the team using a studio within a large tent during this time; in its first series, the tent was located at different locations across the globe before taking a fixed site within the Cotswolds . Segments and road trip specials have been filmed in various locations worldwide, including across Europe, Africa,

2282-493: A gender that doesn't even exist, and I know too that there is some kind of civil war going on between fiercely women women and women who just say they're women. This creates a noise that's annoying to most of us, but think how infuriating it must be to those who really were born in the wrong body?" Since 2024, Clarkson has been extremely critical of Prime Minister Keir Starmer and the Labour Party . Clarkson attended

2445-584: A hollow victory really, because I've got to go for the rest of my life knowing that I'll never own that car. I'll never experience that power again." Vehicles Clarkson has owned: Clarkson wanted to purchase the Ford GT after admiring its inspiration, the Ford GT40 race cars of the 1960s. Clarkson was able to secure a place on the shortlist for the few cars that would be imported to Britain to official customers, only through knowing Ford's head of PR through

2608-540: A lot and they know it." According to insider information reported by The Daily Mirror , Amazon paid £160 million for all three series. Wilman denied the show cost this much, but did admit the show was costly, partially due to Amazon's intent to have it filmed in 4K resolutions . The production of this show would be based in the United Kingdom, and done by W Chump & Sons, a company set up by Wilman, Clarkson, Hammond and May. The show's name, The Grand Tour ,

2771-587: A major factor in the resurgence of Top Gear as one of the most popular shows on the BBC. Since 2019 he has become a farmer at Diddly Squat Farm for his show, Clarkson's Farm . The show received a positive reception and became a popular show on Amazon Prime upon its release. In May 2024, the ' Clarkson's clause ' amendment, named after Clarkson, was introduced which made it easier to convert unused agricultural buildings to commercial usage, something he did in Season 2 of

2934-478: A market trader, he was persuaded to appear on their fashion makeover show What Not to Wear to avoid being considered for their all-time worst dressed winner award. Their attempts at restyling Clarkson were rebuffed, and Clarkson stated he would rather eat his own hair than appear on the show again. For an episode of the first series of the BBC's Who Do You Think You Are? broadcast in November 2004, Clarkson

3097-957: A motoring columnist: "I started small, on the Shropshire Star with little Peugeots and Fiats and worked my way up to Ford Granadas and Rovers until, after about seven years, I was allowed to drive an Aston Martin Lagonda ... It was 10 years before I drove my first Lamborghini ." In 1984, Clarkson formed the Motoring Press Agency (MPA), in which, with fellow motoring journalist Jonathan Gill, he conducted road tests for local newspapers and automotive magazines. This developed into articles for publications such as Performance Car . He has regularly written for Top Gear magazine since its launch in 1993. In 1987, Clarkson wrote for Amstrad Computer User and compiled Amstrad CPC game reviews. Clarkson writes regular columns in

3260-522: A new nickname for May – "Dingleberry Handpump" – failed to raise a titter even among the super-fans gathered for the London premiere" but also said that "for each wobble, there are just as many moments when The Grand Tour manages the clever trick Top Gear could pull off at its best: raising a chuckle while sneaking in a bit of serious journalism at the same time." and ultimately gave the episode 3 out of 5 stars. Jeremy Clarkson himself believed that they had "hit

3423-702: A number of occasions for his views, including at his honorary degree ceremony at Oxford Brookes University , where a protester threw a banana meringue pie in his face in 2006, and in 2009 when activist group Climate Rush dumped horse manure on his lawn. Clarkson's comments on Greta Thunberg were criticised by his own daughter. Whilst Clarkson states such views as described above in his columns and in public appearances, his public persona does not necessarily represent his personal views, as he acknowledged whilst interviewing Alastair Campbell on Top Gear , saying "I don't believe what I write, any more than you [Campbell] believe what you say". Clarkson has been described as

SECTION 20

#1732790211791

3586-561: A period of study at the universities in Ingolstadt or Heidelberg . From there, travellers could visit Holland and Flanders (with more gallery-going and art appreciation) before returning across the Channel to England. Published accounts of the Grand Tour provided illuminating detail and an often polished first-hand perspective of the experience. Examining some accounts offered by authors in their own lifetimes, Jeremy Black detects

3749-576: A permit to do everything except for purchasing weapons. In 2017, in response to the United States officially recognising Jerusalem as the capital of Israel , Clarkson advised Palestinians to recognise London as the capital of the United States. In 2020, Clarkson stated that he usually votes for the Conservative Party , claiming not to be a natural Tory but "it just happens to be that every time it comes around and you weigh up which

3912-454: A potential American broadcaster, as the terms of Clarkson's non-compete clause with the BBC stipulated he could not make a rival car show with a BBC competitor, such as ITV . Among those that had been approached included Netflix , who felt Clarkson's team wanted too much money for what they were worth, and BT Sport , believing this show would be a better fit on a network with a more global reach. In July 2015, Clarkson announced he had signed

4075-461: A previous job. After waiting years and facing an increased price, he found many technical problems with the car. After "the most miserable month's motoring possible", he returned it to Ford for a full refund. After a short period, including asking Top Gear fans for advice over the Internet, he bought back his GT. He called it "the most unreliable car ever made", because he was never able to complete

4238-639: A restructuring that gave BBC Worldwide full control of the Top Gear rights. Clarkson presented the first series of the UK version of Robot Wars . In an on-set accident, a robot's weapon flew off and became lodged in the wall inches from Clarkson. His talk show, Clarkson , comprised 27 half-hour episodes aired in the United Kingdom between November 1998 and December 2000, and featured guest interviews with musicians, politicians and television personalities. Clarkson went on to present documentaries focused on non-motoring themes such as history and engineering, although

4401-637: A return journey with it. In 2006, Clarkson ordered a Gallardo Spyder and sold the Ford GT to make way for it. In August 2008, he sold the Gallardo because "idiots in Peugeots kept trying to race [him] in it". In October, he announced that he had sold his Volvo XC90. In January 2009, in a review of the car printed in The Times , he wrote: "I've just bought my third Volvo XC90 in a row and the simple fact

4564-399: A second track for the specific purpose of being used in the newly created celebrity segment "Celebrity Face Off". They eventually decided to situate the new track at Enstone Airfield , close to the fixed studio tent location - a site originally planned for use with Top Gear . The track was mostly designed as an oval, with half of it involving a gravel track. The track was dropped from use in

4727-412: A show that feels like it's finding its feet." The Times was also positive, giving the show 4 out of 5 stars, stating "Some parts of the show are flat but mostly it works, the production values remain high and it has clearly been hit with a juggernaut of money." The Daily Telegraph , while not as positive, still approved of the episode, stating "The writing is still rather ropey. Clarkson's suggestion of

4890-400: A trip to Italy, with a spinster aunt as chaperone , was part of the upper-class women's education, as in E. M. Forster 's novel A Room with a View . British travellers were far from alone on the roads of Europe. On the contrary, from the mid-16th century, the grand tour was established as an ideal way to finish off the education of young men in countries such as Denmark, France, Germany,

5053-624: A tweet proposing that he might stand for election as an independent candidate in Doncaster North , the constituency of the then Labour leader of the opposition, Ed Miliband , was retweeted over 1,000 times – including by John Prescott. Clarkson has been critical of the Special Relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom. He referred to the US as the "United States of Total Paranoia", commenting that one needs

The Grand Tour - Misplaced Pages Continue

5216-637: A very pretty Venetian of two and twenty — with great black eyes — she is married — and so am I — we have found & sworn an eternal attachment ... & I am more in love than ever... and I verily believe we are one of the happiest unlawful couples on this side of the Alps." Many tourists enjoyed sexual relations while abroad but to a great extent were well behaved, such as Thomas Pelham, and scholars, such as Richard Pococke , who wrote lengthy letters of their Grand Tour experiences. Inventor Sir Francis Ronalds ' journals and sketches of his 1818–20 tour to Europe and

5379-481: A year due to the pandemic. The final episode featuring Clarkson, Hammond and May was filmed in September 2023. Following the public naming of the show, Amazon offered new customers a £20 discount for their first year on Amazon Prime during 14–16 May 2016. A trailer announcing the release date of the show as 18 November 2016 was posted on the show's YouTube channel on 15 September 2016. A second, full-length trailer,

5542-536: Is going to provide you with a better life, the better country to live in, then it's usually the Conservatives"; he also mocked the policies of Tony Blair and Jeremy Corbyn , stating "only an idiot would vote for Corbyn". Clarkson is also a personal friend of former Prime Minister, Conservative leader and Foreign Secretary David Cameron . However, he also expressed support of incumbent Labour leader (current UK Prime Minister) Keir Starmer and maintained that he

5705-564: Is it. They should leave us alone." He has a particular contempt for the Health and Safety Executive . He often criticised the Labour governments of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown , especially what he calls the "ban" culture, frequently fixating on the bans on smoking and 2004 ban on fox hunting . In April 2013, Clarkson was among 2,000 invited guests to the funeral of Conservative Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher . In an attempt to prove that

5868-405: Is no irony. It feels uncomfortably hubristic" but once the presenters were in the tent "Normal service has been resumed" and that "It seemed to me that Grand Tour is a TV show that wants to be – and quite possibly should be – a movie". The Independent described The Grand Tour as "the best of Top Gear but with a greater budget". TheWrap reported an estimate by Symphony Advanced Media that

6031-659: Is not likely to provide them with a Grand Tour, since they have been expelled from college again. Brent is not concerned, remarking, "What is there to see in Europe? I'll bet those foreigners can't show us a thing we haven't got right here in Georgia". Ashley Wilkes , on the other hand, enjoyed the scenery and music he encountered on his Grand Tour and was always talking about it. In 1998, the BBC produced an art history series Sister Wendy's Grand Tour presented by British Carmelite nun Sister Wendy . Ostensibly an art history series,

6194-517: Is often skewed away from the cars as the presenters, namely Clarkson, seemed to chase controversy and headlines". Anderson continues that in-studio segments became repetitive quickly, particularly "Celebrity Brain Crash", also noting that all three hosts seem to spend far too much time needling each other, and test driver Mike Skinner offers no worthwhile commentary. Digital Spy was positive of series 2, episode 1, calling it "An understated premiere for

6357-471: Is this: it takes six children to school in the morning." You can't be a true petrolhead until you've owned an Alfa Romeo . Grand tour By the mid-18th century, the Grand Tour had become a regular feature of aristocratic education in Central Europe as well, although it was restricted to the higher nobility. The tradition declined in Europe as enthusiasm for classical culture waned, and with

6520-566: The 2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum , three days before the referendum, he and fellow presenter/best friend James May posted a video stating their support. Clarkson did not support Brexit , stating that while the European Union has its problems, Britain would not have any influence over the EU, should it leave the Union. He envisions the European Union being turned into

6683-662: The Alps ), or he could opt to make the trip by riverboat as far as the Alps, either travelling up the Seine to Paris, or up the Rhine to Basel . Upon hiring a French-speaking guide, as French was the dominant language of the elite in Europe during the 17th and 18th centuries, the tourist and his entourage would travel to Paris . There the traveller might undertake lessons in French, dancing , fencing , and riding . The appeal of Paris lay in

The Grand Tour - Misplaced Pages Continue

6846-529: The BBC and appearing as a guest on other shows. As well as motoring, Clarkson has produced programmes and books on subjects such as history and engineering, and has written numerous books. In 1998, he hosted the first series of Robot Wars ; from 1998 to 2000, he also hosted his own talk show, Clarkson . In 2015 the BBC elected not to renew Clarkson's contract after he assaulted a Top Gear producer while filming on location. That year, Clarkson and his Top Gear co-presenters and producer Andy Wilman formed

7009-608: The England farmers' protests in London where he called tax hikes a "hammer blow to the back of the head" of British agriculture. Clarkson later labelled Starmer "a nightmare for farmers". Starmer is banned from Clarkson's pub , The Farmer's Dog, near Burford . Clarkson is critical of the green movement and environmentalism , including groups such as Greenpeace —he has called them "eco-mentalists" and "old trade unionists and CND lesbians". He also said that, although he "hate[s]

7172-668: The Great Tew Estate, near Chipping Norton. Two-hundred parking spaces already used for hosting the Cornbury Music Festival on the same site would be used to accommodate 350 guests per week, plus 80 members of staff. The time window allowed for the series 2 filming was between October and December 2017. For the third series, the tent was allowed to remain at the Great Tew Estate, with filming taking place between October and December 2018. Filming for

7335-495: The Holy Land , which he chronicled in his highly popular satire Innocents Abroad in 1867. Not only was it the best-selling of Twain's works during his lifetime, it became one of the best-selling travel books of all time. Margaret Mitchell 's American Civil War -based novel, Gone With The Wind , makes reference to the Grand Tour. Stuart Tartleton, in a conversation with his twin brother, Brent, suspects that their mother

7498-494: The ITV game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? (2018–present), and co-hosts the farming documentary show Clarkson's Farm (2021–present). From a career as a local journalist in northern England , Clarkson rose to public prominence as a presenter of the original format of Top Gear in 1988. Since the mid-1990s, he has become a recognised public personality, regularly appearing on British television presenting his own shows for

7661-694: The Industrial Revolution . He cites the lack of any source of alternative power for cars, other than by "small explosions". In Great Britons , as part of a public poll to find the greatest historical Briton, Clarkson was the chief supporter for Isambard Kingdom Brunel , a prominent engineer during the Industrial Revolution credited with numerous innovations. Despite this, he also has a passion for many modern examples of engineering. In Speed and Extreme Machines , Clarkson rides and showcases numerous vehicles and machinery. Clarkson

7824-471: The Mekong River and Tonlé Sap was "genuinely alarming", but still expressed doubt that it was driven by human activity. Cambodia was undergoing a severe drought during the show's filming. Clarkson is against climate activism , and has often made personal attacks against teenage activist Greta Thunberg , whom he has called "a spoilt brat". Environmentalists have protested or heckled Clarkson on

7987-741: The National Television Awards Special Recognition Award in 2007, and reportedly earned £1 million that same year for his role as a Top Gear presenter, and a further £1.7 million from books, DVDs and newspaper columns. Clarkson and co-presenter James May were the first people to reach the North Magnetic Pole in a car also in 2007, chronicled in Top Gear: Polar Special . He sustained minor injuries to his legs, back and hand in an intentional collision with

8150-634: The Peace of Münster in 1648. According to the Oxford English Dictionary , the first recorded use of the term (perhaps its introduction to English) was by Richard Lassels ( c. 1603–1668), an expatriate Roman Catholic priest , in his book The Voyage of Italy , which was published posthumously in Paris in 1670 and then in London. Lassels's introduction listed four areas in which travel furnished "an accomplished, consummate Traveller":

8313-475: The Top Gear Test Track, called the "Eboladrome". The track is not only used for reviews, but also for conducting timed laps of vehicles that are reviewed, except for ten cars which were timed outside of filming before the launch of the first series. Timed laps are conducted by a professional driver assigned to the programme - while the first series involved former NASCAR driver Mike Skinner , who

SECTION 50

#1732790211791

8476-568: The Twelve Years' Truce , was an early influence on the Grand Tour but it was the far more extensive tour through Italy as far as Naples undertaken by the 'Collector' Earl of Arundel , with his wife and children in 1613–14 that established the most significant precedent. This is partly because he asked Inigo Jones , not yet established as an architect but already known as a 'great traveller' and masque designer, to act as his cicerone (guide). Larger numbers of tourists began their tours after

8639-484: The United States . On 15 January 2019, Amazon Game Studios released a companion video game for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One , to coincide with the third series of the programme, entitled The Grand Tour Game . Designed as an episodic, casual racing game , players take on a series of challenges based upon those from the series and using the same cars involved - for each new episode of the series, an episode of

8802-511: The death of Queen Elizabeth II , Clarkson shared a statement written by Boris Johnson on Twitter and captioned it "I was trying to think of something to say but Boris Johnson has said it all" and referred to the Queen as a "magnificent monarch". In January 2023, Clarkson argued a left-wing "coup" had silently taken place in British politics, media and culture, writing "We laugh as they change

8965-503: The effects of climate change are "a bad thing", saying in 2005 "let's just stop and think for a moment what the consequences might be. Switzerland loses its skiing resorts? The beach in Miami is washed away? North Carolina gets knocked over by a hurricane? Anything bothering you yet?" However, during a 2019 trip to Cambodia while filming The Grand Tour , Clarkson acknowledged the "graphic demonstration" of climate change impacts on

9128-443: The intellectual , the social , the ethical (by the opportunity of drawing moral instruction from all the traveller saw), and the political . As a young man at the outset of his account of a repeat Grand Tour, the historian Edward Gibbon remarked that "According to the law of custom, and perhaps of reason, foreign travel completes the education of an English gentleman." Consciously adapted for intellectual self-improvement, Gibbon

9291-416: The most regularly used guest hosts on the show. Clarkson has appeared as a panellist on the political current affairs television show Question Time twice since 2000. On 2 October 2015, he presented Have I Got News for You again for the first time since his dismissal. Clarkson received a BAFTA nomination for Best Entertainment Performance in 2006. Jonathan Ross ended up winning the award. He won

9454-648: The tabloid newspaper The Sun , and for the broadsheet newspaper The Sunday Times . His columns in the Times are republished in The Weekend Australian newspaper. He also writes for the "Wheels" section of the Toronto Star . He has written humorous books about cars and several other subjects, with many of his books being collections of articles that he has written for The Sunday Times . Clarkson's first major television role came as one of

9617-579: The 19th century.) From there the traveller would endure a difficult crossing over the Alps (such as at the Great St Bernard Pass ), which required dismantling the carriage and larger luggage. If wealthy enough, he might be carried over the hard terrain by servants. Once in Italy , the tourist would visit Turin (and sometimes Milan ), then might spend a few months in Florence , where there

9780-542: The 2007 Christmas appeal in The Sunday Times supporting Help for Heroes. Clarkson is passionate about engineering, especially pioneering work. In Inventions That Changed the World Clarkson showcased the invention of the gun, computer, jet engine, telephone and television. He has previously criticised the engineering feats of the 20th century as merely improvements on the truly innovative inventions of

9943-547: The Americas, and Asia. After the conclusion of the third series, the production team switched out of this format, and towards a focus on producing special motoring films for future series, with individual episodes released at select intervals. The final episode featuring Clarkson, Hammond, and May as presenters was released on 13 September 2024, ending the 22-year-long partnership between the trio. The Grand Tour has received generally positive reviews from critics, with praise for

SECTION 60

#1732790211791

10106-486: The BBC in their dust". On the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes , the first series of The Grand Tour has a "fresh" rating of 86%, based on 7 reviews, with an average rating of 8.0/10. The Grand Tour received a nomination in the Original OTT Streamed category at the 2017 Television and Radio Industries Club Awards. However, BBC Arts Editor, Will Gompertz said of the opening that "there

10269-558: The BBC. More often than not they are said with a twinkle in his eye." On his chat show, Clarkson , he caused upset to the Welsh by placing a 3D plastic map of Wales into a microwave oven and switching it on. He later defended this by saying, "I put Wales in there because Scotland wouldn't fit." In 2005, Clarkson received an honorary Doctor of Engineering degree from the Oxford Brookes University . His views on

10432-728: The British tourist usually began in Dover , England , and crossed the English Channel to Ostend in Belgium , or to Calais or Le Havre in France . From there the tourist, usually accompanied by a tutor (known colloquially as a " bear-leader ") and (if wealthy enough) a troop of servants, could rent or acquire a coach (which could be resold in any city – as in Giacomo Casanova 's travels – or disassembled and packed across

10595-426: The Grand Tour derided its lack of adventure. "The tour of Europe is a paltry thing", said one 18th century critic, "a tame, uniform, unvaried prospect". The Grand Tour was said to reinforce the old preconceptions and prejudices about national characteristics, as Jean Gailhard 's Compleat Gentleman (1678) observes: "French courteous. Spanish lordly. Italian amorous. German clownish." The deep suspicion with which Tour

10758-628: The Grand Tour, especially portraits of the traveller painted in continental settings, became the obligatory emblems of worldliness, gravitas and influence. Artists who particularly thrived on the Grand Tour market included Carlo Maratti , who was first patronised by John Evelyn as early as 1645, Pompeo Batoni the portraitist , and the vedutisti such as Canaletto , Pannini and Guardi . The less well-off could return with an album of Piranesi etchings. The "perhaps" in Gibbon's opening remark cast an ironic shadow over his resounding statement. Critics of

10921-403: The Grand Tour. From Venice the traveller went to Rome to study the ancient ruins and the masterpieces of painting, sculpture, and architecture of Rome's Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque periods. Some travellers also visited Naples to study music, and (after the mid-18th century) to appreciate the recently discovered archaeological sites of Herculaneum and Pompeii , and perhaps (for

11084-574: The Grand Tour. Boswell notes "Yesterday morning with her. Pulled up petticoat and showed whole knees... Touched with her goodness. All other liberties exquisite." He describes his time with the Italian women he encounters and shares a part of history in his written accounts. Lord Byron 's letters to his mother with the accounts of his travels have also been published from the early 19th century. Byron spoke of his first enduring Venetian love, his landlord's wife, mentioning that he has "fallen in love with

11247-805: The Indian audience. The footage showed a car with a body frame that was made of a cow's bones and organs; removal of the footage resulted in a significant reduction in the length of an episode. During the first series, the studio segments were filmed in various locations around the world. Studio recording for the first series began in Johannesburg , South Africa on 17 July 2016. Recording in the United States took place on 25 September 2016 in Southern California , with further recording taking place in Nashville on 21 November 2016. Studio recording in

11410-403: The Near East have been published online. The letters written by sisters Mary and Ida Saxton of Canton, Ohio in 1869 while on a six-month tour offer insight into the Grand Tour tradition from an American perspective. Immediately following the American Civil War U.S. author and humorist Mark Twain undertook a decidedly modest yet greatly aspiring "grand tour" of Europe, the Middle East, and

11573-409: The Netherlands, Poland and Sweden. In spite of this the bulk of research conducted on the Grand Tour has been on British travellers. Dutch scholar Frank-van Westrienen Anna has made note of this historiographic focus, claiming that the scholarly understanding of the Grand Tour would have been more complex if more comparative studies had been carried out on continental travellers. Recent scholarship on

11736-469: The Swedish aristocracy has demonstrated that Swedish aristocrats, though being relatively poorer than their British peers, from around 1620 and onwards in many ways acted as their British counterparts. After studies at one or two renowned universities, preferably those of Leiden and Heidelberg, the Swedish grand tourists set off to France and Italy, where they spent time in Paris, Rome and Venice and completed

11899-582: The Tourists were interested. Coins and medals , which formed more portable souvenirs and a respected gentleman's guide to ancient history were also popular. Pompeo Batoni made a career of painting the English milordi posed with graceful ease among Roman antiquities. Many continued on to Naples , where they also viewed Herculaneum and Pompeii , but few ventured far into Southern Italy , and fewer still to Greece , then still under Turkish rule . After

12062-653: The United Kingdom took place in Whitby on 13 October 2016, with further recordings taking place at Loch Ness in December 2016. Further studio recording took place in Rotterdam on 22 October 2016 and Lapland on 3 November 2016. Stuttgart ( Ludwigsburg ) was also a filming location. The final studio filming took place in Dubai in December 2016. For the second series, following Clarkson's pneumonia and Hammond's car crash,

12225-419: The advent of accessible rail and steamship travel—an era in which Thomas Cook made the "Cook's Tour" of early mass tourism a byword starting in the 1870s. However, with the rise of industrialization in the United States in the 19th century, American Gilded Age nouveau riche adopted the Grand Tour for both sexes and among those of more advanced years as a means of gaining both exposure and association with

12388-417: The advent of steam-powered transportation around 1825, the Grand Tour custom continued, but it was of a qualitative difference — cheaper to undertake, safer, easier, open to anyone. During much of the 19th century, most educated young men of privilege undertook the Grand Tour. Germany and Switzerland came to be included in a more broadly defined circuit. Later, it became fashionable for young women as well ;

12551-574: The adventurous) an ascent of Mount Vesuvius . Later in the period, the more adventurous, especially if provided with a yacht , might attempt Sicily to see its archeological sites, volcanoes and its baroque architecture, Malta or even Greece itself. But Naples – or later Paestum further south – was the usual terminus. Returning northward, the tourist might recross the Alps to the German-speaking parts of Europe, visiting Innsbruck , Vienna , Dresden , Berlin and Potsdam , with perhaps

12714-705: The artists themselves, the elite considered travel to such centres as necessary rites of passage. For gentlemen, some works of art were essential to demonstrate the breadth and polish they had received from their tour. The Grand Tour offered a liberal education , and the opportunity to acquire things otherwise unavailable, lending an air of accomplishment and prestige to the traveller. Grand Tourists would return with crates full of books, works of art, scientific instruments, and cultural artefacts – from snuff boxes and paperweights to altars, fountains, and statuary – to be displayed in libraries, cabinets , gardens, drawing rooms , and galleries built for that purpose. The trappings of

12877-409: The chemistry of its original presenters and strong production values. It is one of Prime Video's most viewed original series, setting viewership records with several of its episodes. It is also one of its most expensive series by production budget. A video game based on the programme, The Grand Tour Game , was released on 15 January 2019. Throughout the first three series of the programme, the format

13040-420: The creation of a dedicated test track for the purpose of being used for reviews of testing of vehicles by presenters, alongside the establishment of lap times by cars that are reviewed. The track was eventually sited at the former RAF Wroughton airbase, with its layout consisting of two loops - one large and one small - connected by a single stretch of tarmac between them and christened as the "Eboladrome", due to

13203-462: The crew admitting that the real reason for the nature of the segment was a last-minute panic. "Celebrity Brain Crash" was replaced in series two by "Celebrity Face Off" where two celebrities compete to be the fastest around a track, avoiding legal complications with the BBC. An episode was censored by Amazon Prime Video in India because it included footage that could have been construed as offensive by

13366-400: The defunct Longbridge plant in its last days. The BBC often played down his comments as ultimately not having the weight they were ascribed. In 2007, they described Clarkson as "not a man given to considered opinion", and in response to an official complaint another BBC spokeswoman once said: "Jeremy's colourful comments are always entertaining, but they are his own comments and not those of

13529-458: The design of the track resembling the structure of the Ebola virus . The track was designed to "trip cars up" and included sections devised under a humorous arrangement, such as "Isn't Straight", "Your Name Here", "Old Lady's House", "Substation" and "Field of Sheep". The track was dropped from use from the programme after the third series. For the second series, the production team decided to create

13692-584: The element of literary artifice in these and cautions that they should be approached as travel literature rather than unvarnished accounts. He lists as examples Joseph Addison , John Andrews, William Thomas Beckford (whose Dreams, Waking Thoughts, and Incidents was a published account of his letters back home in 1780–1781, embellished with stream-of-consciousness associations), William Coxe , Elizabeth Craven , John Moore , tutor to successive dukes of Hamilton, Samuel Jackson Pratt , Tobias Smollett , Philip Thicknesse , and Arthur Young . Although Italy

13855-478: The environment precipitated a small demonstration at the award ceremony for his honorary degree, when Clarkson was pied by road protester Rebecca Lush . Clarkson took this incident in good humour, responding "good shot" and subsequently referring to Lush as "Banana girl". In 2008, an internet petition was posted on the Prime Minister's Number 10 website to "Make Jeremy Clarkson Prime Minister ". By

14018-513: The fees. However, shortly before his admission, when he was 13, his parents made two Paddington Bear stuffed toys for Clarkson and his sister Joanna. These proved so popular that they started selling them through the business. Because they were manufacturing and selling the bears without regard to intellectual property rights, upon his becoming aware of the bears Michael Bond took action through his solicitors. Edward Clarkson travelled to London to meet Bond's lawyer. By coincidence, he met Bond in

14181-481: The fifty most influential figures in the automotive industry. In 2023 and 2024, he was voted "sexiest man" in the UK. Clarkson has a keen interest in the British Armed Forces and several of his DVDs and television shows have featured a military theme, such as flying in military jets or several Clarkson-focused Top Gear spots having a military theme such as Clarkson escaping a Challenger 2 tank in

14344-628: The final episode of the fifth series. In September 2023, filming for an eighth episode began in Zimbabwe , which concluded in Botswana . Titled "One for the Road", it was released on 13 September 2024 as the only episode of the sixth series. The episode marks the end of Clarkson, Hammond, and May's working collaboration after 22 years. Clarkson, Hammond and May had been presenters on BBC's Top Gear . In May and Clarkson's case they had served as part of

14507-654: The final episode of the fourth series. A fifth episode was originally scheduled to be filmed outside of the United Kingdom in mid-2021; however, due to the COVID-19 pandemic , travel restrictions meant this could not happen until March 2022, when filming for the fifth episode began in Norway before travelling through Sweden and concluding in Finland . Titled "A Scandi Flick", it was released on 16 September 2022, as

14670-619: The first episode of the fifth series. In June 2022, filming for the sixth episode began in Poland before travelling through Czech Republic , Slovakia , Hungary and concluding in Slovenia . Titled "Eurocrash", it was released on 16 June 2023. In May 2023, filming for a seventh episode began in Mauritania and concluded in Senegal . Titled "Sand Job", it was released on 16 February 2024 as

14833-484: The first series with the Namibian special episodes on 29 November 2017 and L'Équipe (TV channel) broadcast episodes 1 and 13 on 15 January 2018. At the start of 2018, high-speed Eurostar train services between Paris or Brussels and London began to feature The Grand Tour as part of the available on board entertainment package. Starting September 14, 2024, The Grand Tour will be syndicated to local stations across

14996-542: The format and regular segments. Named elements from Top Gear like The Star in a Reasonably Priced Car, the Cool Wall, and the Stig could not be used at all, but they also had to clear other legal concerns. For example, the lawyers said they could test cars on a test track, but they could not post the times using hand-written signs as they had done on Top Gear ; instead, they used a digital leaderboard. Wilman said that some of

15159-794: The fourth series began in June 2019. Clarkson made the announcement on Instagram. By mid-June, filming had taken place in Cambodia. Later that month, Clarkson, Hammond, and May were spotted filming in Vietnam. Another fourth series special was shot in Madagascar around November 2019, though its post-production to a final product was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. There were plans to film in north Russia in March 2020, but those were delayed for at least

15322-459: The freedom they wanted to make the show how they wanted along with the necessary budget. Additionally, by using a subscription-based service over an advert-based network, they would not be beholden to commercial pressure from their advertisers. Jeff Bezos , CEO of Amazon, said he was "very excited" about bringing this programme to Amazon, and that producing the show would be "very, very, very expensive", but added, "[Clarkson, Hammond and May are] worth

15485-462: The game is simultaneously released with approximately 15 new challenges for the player to undertake. The game includes single player mode alongside local split-screen multiplayer for several of the challenges, with footage from the programme included in each episode's release. The presenters Clarkson, May, and Hammond provided voice-overs for the game. Since the game's release it has been met with mixed reviews from critics and positive reviews from fans of

15648-508: The gender balance of guests on the "Celebrity Face Off" segment during an episode, with Paris Hilton as the only female guest. The Grand Tour is released to viewers across more than 195 countries and territories. attracting favourable viewing figures since its premiere episode, Australian free-to-air network Seven Network started broadcasting the first series of The Grand Tour in mid-October 2017. Series 2 and 3 have not been broadcast. French channel RMC Découverte started broadcasting

15811-597: The ground running with series 2 of the Grand Tour". Richard Hammond was criticised by Stonewall and Peter Tatchell for a comment he made in the sixth episode of the first series where he implied that men who eat ice cream and people who like grilling outside are homosexual. It was later revealed that the comment may have been an in-joke for the Finnish audience as a reference to a controversial TV commercial that aired in Finland many years earlier. Radio Times criticised

15974-480: The highest-viewed factual television programme. Due to several incidents involving Clarkson , the BBC chose not to renew Clarkson's contract with the show in March 2015. Both May and Hammond affirmed they would not return to Top Gear without Clarkson, even though the BBC offered them lucrative salaries to remain on for additional series. Along with their departure, their long-time producer and Clarkson's classmate Andy Wilman also opted to leave at this time. BBC retooled

16137-609: The journey takes her from Madrid to Saint Petersburg with stop-offs to see the great masterpieces. In 2005, British art historian Brian Sewell followed in the footsteps of the Grand Tourists for a 10-part television series Brian Sewell's Grand Tour . Produced by UK's Channel Five, Sewell travelled by car and confined his attention solely to Italy stopping in Rome, Florence, Naples, Pompeii, Turin, Milan, Cremona, Siena, Bologna, Vicenza, Paestum, Urbino, Tivoli and concluding at

16300-673: The lack of it". Eighteenth- and nineteenth-century Italian women, with their unfamiliar methods and routines, were opposites to the western dress expected of European women in the eighteenth and nineteenth century; their "foreign" ways led to the documentation of encounters with them, providing published accounts of the Grand Tour. James Boswell in the 18th century courted noble ladies and recorded his progress with his relationships, mentioning that Madame Micheli "Talked of religion, philosophy... Kissed hand often." The promiscuity of Boswell's encounters with Italian elite are shared in his diary and provide further detail on events that occurred during

16463-433: The lawyers' concerns "got funnier and funnier", such as whether May could say "cock", or whether during one of their exotic roadtrips, if they could stop and admire the scenery by saying "it's beautiful" as they frequently did on Top Gear . Many outlets falsely reported that the BBC had explicitly told the crew they could not have celebrities come on the show and race around a track. This was later confirmed to be false, with

16626-473: The lift, and the two struck up an immediate rapport. Consequently, Bond awarded the Clarksons the licensing of the bear rights throughout the world, with the family eventually selling to Britain's then leading toystore, Hamleys . The income from this success enabled the Clarksons to be able to pay the fees for Jeremy to attend Hill House School, Doncaster , and later Repton School . Clarkson has stated he

16789-667: The list included 5.11 Tactical . A DHL Boeing 757 was featured in the opening sequence of episode 5, the tent was located in Rotterdam and the DHL logo is featured on part of the crash barrier at the Eboladrome. In September 2024, Hammond confirmed reports that Amazon would likely continue the show with new presenters set to replace him, Clarkson and May. As of November 2016 the show has received positive reviews from critics, with The Guardian saying "Jeremy Clarkson and co leave

16952-627: The local culture around cars. According to Wilman, the idea to film audience segments in a tent came from Clarkson, who had seen an episode of True Detective that took place at a Baptist revival ceremony. On 13 December 2018, while shooting the final episode for Series 3, it was announced that the show had been renewed for a fourth series. However they would retire the tent format and instead and focus on large budget car specials, on staggered dates rather than regular episodes. Wilman said that lawyers for Amazon were very mindful of any perceived similarities in segments to Top Gear , requiring changes to

17115-571: The motoring shows and videos continued. Alongside his stand-alone shows, many mirror the format of his newspaper columns and books, combining his love of driving and motoring journalism, with the examination and expression of his other views on the world, such as in Jeremy Clarkson's Motorworld , Jeremy Clarkson's Car Years and Jeremy Clarkson Meets the Neighbours . After Trinny and Susannah labelled Clarkson's dress sense as that of

17278-435: The movement, [he] loves the destination" of environmentalism and believes that people should quietly strive to be more eco-friendly. He has been dismissive of windfarms and renewable energy and has spoken in support of hydrogen cars . Clarkson rejects the scientific consensus on climate change , believing that anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions do not affect the global climate. He has also expressed doubt that

17441-588: The name of the Sir Francis Drake Primary School to something less slavey. We think it's all a big joke. But it isn't. Think about what typically happens in a military operation and then look what the woke left has done here." He finished "At least Arthur Scargill had the decency to get on a soapbox and state his aims in public. This lot don't. They sit at home, hiding in the impenetrable shadow of anonymity, inventing new rules to ensnare anyone and everyone they deem to be unworthy." In

17604-533: The only chance to hear certain music. A Grand Tour could last anywhere from several months to several years. It was commonly undertaken in the company of a cicerone , a knowledgeable guide or tutor. Rome for many centuries had already been the destination of pilgrims, especially during Jubilee when European clergy visited the Seven Pilgrim Churches of Rome . In Britain, Thomas Coryat 's travel book Coryat's Crudities (1611), published during

17767-527: The opening weekend viewer count for The Grand Tour was three times the size of the opening weekend of The Man in the High Castle . Episode 2 was somewhat less favourably received by fans and critics. The Telegraph wrote about the Jordan segment: "[...] a tedious action movie segment suggested that they were in danger of losing the run of themselves slightly and that Amazon's hands-off policy towards

17930-419: The original grand tour on the French countryside. King Gustav III of Sweden made his Grand Tour in 1783–84. The itinerary of the Grand Tour was not set in stone, but was subject to innumerable variations, depending on an individual's interests and finances, though Paris and Rome were popular destinations for most English tourists. The most common itinerary of the Grand Tour shifted across generations, but

18093-406: The planet. Like Top Gear , car reviews on The Grand Tour functioned in a similar manner in which the presenters, either on their own or with their colleagues, take a look at various cars and test them out on various aspects such as performance, handling, and quality. Reviews are conducted in varying locales abroad, or within the United Kingdom, including a specially designed racetrack, parallel to

18256-494: The presenters on the British motoring programme Top Gear , from 27 October 1988, to 3 March 1999, in the programme's earlier format. Jon Bentley , a researcher at Top Gear , helped launch his television career. Clarkson got the job after doing a screen test in which he spent 20 minutes ranting about the awfulness of the Citroen 2CV . Bentley shortly afterwards became the show's producer, and said about hiring Clarkson: He

18419-495: The presenters sat around a trestle table and the audience seated in front of them. Initially, the first series involved these segments being filmed within a travelling tent that was set up in various countries, with audiences acquired from the local population at the site as part of an emphasis that the programme was on a " grand tour " around the world. However, Hammond's crash in Switzerland and Clarkson's pneumonia prior to

18582-528: The presenters travelling from one location to another in a selection of vehicles they have chosen for the task, in a similar manner to the feature-length specials of Top Gear , though expanding beyond cars, as did Top Gear on occasion. The first episode, titled "Seamen", was filmed on the Mekong Delta in Cambodia and Vietnam and released on 13 December 2019. A second episode, titled "A Massive Hunt",

18745-472: The producers decided that there would no longer be a travelling tent. Instead the tent would be in one location near Clarkson's home in the Cotswolds as this would be more convenient for the crew to operate. It also would be useful for new features such as Celebrity Face Off. In September 2017, West Oxfordshire District Council gave planning permission for three months of filming from a fixed tent location on

18908-446: The production company W. Chump & Sons to produce The Grand Tour for Amazon Prime Video . Clarkson's opinionated but humorous tongue-in-cheek writing and presenting style has often provoked a public reaction. His actions, both privately and as a Top Gear presenter, have also sometimes resulted in criticism from the media, politicians, pressure groups , and the public. He also has a significant public following, being credited as

19071-452: The production had potential downsides." Radio Times said that "many of the viewers were disgruntled to say the least, branding the show as dull and not funny." Kevin Yeoman of Screen Rant gave the show a positive review, stating "Fans can rest assured Top Gear hasn't gone anywhere, it's just hiding out at Amazon under a different name." Sonia Saraiya of Variety was also positive of

19234-493: The programme created a humorous segment for the first series entitled "Celebrity Brain Crash", which involved celebrities being "killed" in an accident while making their way to the presenter's tent - the segment was done for comedic effect, and either involved an actual celebrity who was filmed briefly for the segment before their death is staged outside the tent's location or with a look-alike, or involving someone representing them, despite not being clearly identifiable. This segment

19397-468: The public furore over the 2007 UK child benefit data scandal was unjustified, he published his own bank account number and sort code, together with instructions on how to find out his address, in The Sun newspaper, expecting nobody to be able to remove money from his account. He later discovered that someone had set up a monthly direct debit for £500 to Diabetes UK . Clarkson supported a Remain vote in

19560-513: The reactions he gets, Clarkson has stated "I enjoy this back and forth, it makes the world go round but it is just opinion." On the opinion that his views are influential enough to topple car companies, he has argued that he has proof that he has had no influence. "When I said that the Ford Orion was the worst car ever it went on to become a best-selling car." Clarkson was ranked 49th on Motor Trend Magazine's Power List for 2011, its list of

19723-438: The rotating hosts of the original Top Gear , with all three including Hammond being permanent hosts for the 2002 rebooted series from the second series in 2003 ( Jason Dawe having presented series one of the rebooted show alongside Clarkson and Hammond instead of May) up to the twenty second series in 2015. Under them, the show had an estimated worldwide audience of 350 million, and listed by Guinness World Records as

19886-409: The second series, although was briefly involved in a motoring challenge during the third series. On 13 December 2018, Amazon announced that The Grand Tour had been renewed for a fourth series. With this, Amazon and the production team retired the studio and audience format in favour of films dedicated to road trips and adventure specials. The new format focuses on these individual adventures which see

20049-402: The second series, led to the use of a travelling tent being dropped in favour of a more fixed location, resulting in studio segments being filmed on the outskirts of Chipping Norton for the second and third series. These live-audience segments act as breaks between pre-recorded films, much like in Top Gear , and operated on a similar format. Throughout all three series, the presenters often used

20212-504: The show for 2016, bringing in a new line up of hosts. Shortly after his separation from the BBC, Clarkson stated his intent to start a new car show, saying "I have lost my baby but I shall create another. I don't know who the other parent will be or what the baby will be like." Rumours that Clarkson, Hammond, and May were developing a new show through discreet meetings with various networks emerged starting in April 2015. These rumors pointed to

20375-499: The show when planning permission for his restaurant was denied. Jeremy Charles Robert Clarkson was born on 11 April 1960 in Tickhill , West Riding of Yorkshire . He is the son of Shirley Gabrielle Clarkson ( née Ward), a teacher, and Edward Grenville Clarkson, a travelling salesman. His parents, who ran a business selling tea cosies , put their son's name down in advance for private schools, with no idea how they were going to pay

20538-500: The show, stating "When it comes to the cars, The Grand Tour delivers gearhead porn in spades... Clarkson, Hammond, and May's love for machinery... is still present, pure, and appealing, even with the shift in networks and formats." Conversely, in April 2017 Brad Anderson of CarScoops stated that he prefers Top Gear to The Grand Tour . According to Anderson, Top Gear had "become even better", whereas The Grand Tour "seemed more scripted, less natural and at stages, forced... attention

20701-478: The show. Download coordinates as: Jeremy Clarkson Jeremy Charles Robert Clarkson (born 11 April 1960) is an English television presenter , journalist, farmer, and author who specialises in motoring . He is best known for hosting the television programmes Top Gear (2002–2015) and The Grand Tour (2016–2024) alongside Richard Hammond and James May . He also currently writes weekly columns for The Sunday Times and The Sun . Clarkson hosts

20864-646: The sitcom Last of the Summer Wine , the mentality within golf clubs , and vegetarians. He has made several appearances on the prime time talk shows Parkinson and Friday Night with Jonathan Ross since 2002. By 2003, his persona was deemed to fit the mould for the series Grumpy Old Men , in which middle-aged men talk about any aspects of modern life which irritate them. Since the topical news panel show Have I Got News for You dismissed regular host Angus Deayton in October 2002, Clarkson has become one of

21027-555: The sophisticated language and manners of French high society, including courtly behavior and fashion. This served to polish the young man's manners in preparation for a leadership position at home, often in government or diplomacy . From Paris he would typically sojourn in urban Switzerland , often in Geneva (the cradle of the Protestant Reformation ) or Lausanne . ("Alpinism" or mountaineering developed later, in

21190-634: The sophistication of Europe. Even those of lesser means sought to mimic the pilgrimage, as satirized in Mark Twain 's enormously popular Innocents Abroad in 1869. The primary value of the Grand Tour lay in its exposure to the cultural legacy of classical antiquity and the Renaissance , and to the aristocratic and fashionably polite society of the European continent. It also provided the only opportunity to view specific works of art, and possibly

21353-402: The time it closed, it had attracted 49,446 signatures. An opposing petition posted on the same site set to "Never, Ever Make Jeremy Clarkson Prime Minister" attracted 87 signatures. Clarkson later commented he would be a rubbish Prime Minister as he is always contradicting himself in his columns. In the official response to the petition, Number 10 agreed with Clarkson's comments. In response to

21516-501: The top 100 most "powerful people in the [media] industry", based on cultural, economic and political influence in the UK, Clarkson was listed as a new entrant at 74th. Some critics even attribute Clarkson's actions and views as being influential enough to be responsible for the closure of Rover and the Luton manufacturing plant of Vauxhall . Clarkson's comments about Rover prompted workers to hang an "Anti-Clarkson Campaign" banner outside

21679-552: The transport costs of the tent and mobile studio. In June 2016, in connection with the sponsorship deal, the presenters had uploaded videos of themselves attempting to assemble DHL-branded shipping boxes. The first episode stated that "promotional consideration" had been given by the Breitling Jet Team , DHL and Samsung . Eight of the Breitling Jet aircraft took part in the opening sequence flyovers. For episode 2,

21842-632: The trappings of the Grand Tour—valets and coachmen, perhaps a cook, certainly a " bear-leader " or scholarly guide—were beyond their reach. The advent of popular guides, such as the book An Account of Some of the Statues, Bas-Reliefs, Drawings, and Pictures in Italy published in 1722 by Jonathan Richardson and his son Jonathan Richardson the Younger , did much to popularise such trips, and following

22005-419: The victim. As a motoring journalist, he is frequently critical of government initiatives such as the London congestion charge or proposals on road charging . He is also frequently scornful of caravanners and cyclists. He has often singled out John Prescott , the former Transport Minister , and Stephen Joseph, the head of the public transport pressure group Transport 2000 , for ridicule. In September 2013,

22168-412: The word "Gear" could not be used for legal reasons. Initially, the show's format was to present individual television films, using location shooting without studio segments. They later came up with the idea of using a travelling tent to provide a mobile "studio", to go along with The Grand Tour name. They would be able to use local audience members, and would give the hosts the opportunity to explore

22331-488: The younger voters, who overwhelmingly supported Remain, for their voting inactivity. Clarkson's comments have both a large number of supporters and opponents. He often comments on the media-perceived social issues of the day, such as the fear of challenging adolescent youths, which he calls " hoodies ". In 2007, Clarkson was cleared of allegations of assaulting a young person while visiting central Milton Keynes , after Thames Valley Police said that if anything, he had been

22494-714: Was "revisiting the Continent on a larger and more liberal plan"; most Grand Tourists did not pause more than briefly in libraries. On the eve of the Romantic era he played a significant part in introducing, William Beckford wrote a vivid account of his Grand Tour that made Gibbon's unadventurous Italian tour look distinctly conventional. The typical 18th-century stance was that of the studious observer travelling through foreign lands reporting his findings on human nature for those unfortunates who stayed at home. Recounting one's observations to society at large to increase its welfare

22657-555: Was a considerable Anglo-Italian society accessible to travelling Englishmen "of quality" and where the Tribuna of the Uffizi gallery brought together in one space the monuments of High Renaissance paintings and Roman sculpture . After a side trip to Pisa , the tourist would move on to Padua , Bologna , and Venice . The British idea of Venice as the "locus of decadent Italianate allure" made it an epitome and cultural set piece of

22820-413: Was a passenger on the last BA Concorde flight, on 24 October 2003. Paraphrasing Neil Armstrong , he described the retirement of the fleet as "This is one small step for a man, but one huge leap backwards for mankind". He briefly acquired an English Electric Lightning F1A jet fighter XM172 former RAF Coltishall gate guard, which was installed in the front garden of his country home. The Lightning

22983-437: Was an £850,000 technology demonstrator project built by Volkswagen to become the fastest production car, but a practical road car at the same time. In building such an ambitious machine, Clarkson described the project as "a triumph for lunacy over common sense, a triumph for man over nature and a triumph for Volkswagen over absolutely every other car maker in the world." After winning the race, Clarkson announced that "It's quite

23146-658: Was as a travelling salesman for his parents' business, selling Paddington Bear toys. He later trained as a journalist with the Rotherham Advertiser , before also writing for the Rochdale Observer , Wolverhampton Express and Star , Lincolnshire Life , Shropshire Star and the Associated Kent Newspapers. When writing in 2015 in his final column for Top Gear magazine, he credited the Shropshire Star as his first outlet as

23309-468: Was awarded an honorary degree from Brunel University on 12 September 2003, partly because of his work in popularising engineering, and partly because of his advocacy of Brunel. In his book I Know You Got Soul , he describes many machines that he believes possess a soul . He cited the Concorde crash as his inspiration, feeling a sadness for the demise of the machine as well as the passengers. Clarkson

23472-581: Was considered an obligation; the Grand Tour flourished in this mindset. In essence, the Grand Tour was neither a scholarly pilgrimage nor a religious one, though a pleasurable stay in Venice and a cautious residence in Rome were essential. Catholic Grand Tourists followed the same routes as Protestant Whigs. Since the 17th century, a tour to such places was also considered essential for budding artists to understand proper painting and sculpture techniques, though

23635-406: Was contracted to operate under the name "The American" and portray a stereotypical redneck accent and viewpoints alongside scripted character traits, the poor reception to his involvement led to him being replaced by British racing driver Abbie Eaton for the second and third series. Studio segments were primarily filmed within a large studio tent that could house an audience of around 300, with

23798-594: Was deeply unhappy at Repton School, saying that he had been a " suicidal wreck " there, having experienced extreme bullying . He alleged that: I suffered many terrible things. I was thrown on an hourly basis into the ice plunge pool, dragged from my bed in the middle of the night and beaten, made to lick the lavatories clean and all the usual humiliations that... turn a small boy into a gibbering, sobbing, suicidal wreck... they glued my records together, snapped my compass, ate my biscuits, defecated in my tuck box and they cut my trousers in half. According to his own account, he

23961-513: Was expelled from Repton School for "drinking, smoking and generally making a nuisance of himself". He famously left with one C and two U (fail) grades at A level . Clarkson attended Repton alongside future Formula One engineer Adrian Newey and former Top Gear Executive Producer Andy Wilman . He played the role of a preparatory school pupil, Atkinson, in a BBC radio Children's Hour serial adaptation of Anthony Buckeridge 's Jennings novels until his voice broke. Clarkson's first job

24124-511: Was filmed in Réunion and Madagascar . It was originally set to be released on 18 December 2020 but was released a day ahead of schedule on 17 December 2020. A third episode, titled "Lochdown", was filmed in Scotland in October 2020 and was released on 30 July 2021. A fourth episode, titled "Carnage A Trois", was filmed in the United Kingdom in early 2021 and was released on 17 December 2021 as

24287-462: Was focused on a similar arrangement to that of Top Gear , involving a mixture of pre-recording television films - a mixture of single or multi-part films - and live-audience studio segments, though for legal reasons it was designed with significant differences to avoid clashing with the BBC's motoring series. Films focused primarily on car review, motoring challenges, and road trip journeys, often in similar mould to those seen in Top Gear , such as

24450-503: Was funny. Even my bosses allowed themselves the odd titter. Clarkson then also presented the show's new format from 20 October 2002, to 8 March 2015. Along with co-presenters James May and Richard Hammond , he is credited with turning Top Gear into the most-watched TV show on BBC Two , rebroadcast to over 100 countries around the world. Clarkson's company Bedder 6 , which handled merchandise and international distribution for Top Gear , earned over £149m in revenue in 2012, prior to

24613-513: Was invited to investigate his family history. It included the story of his great-great-great-grandfather, John Kilner (1792–1857), who invented the Kilner jar , a container for preserved fruit. Clarkson's views are often showcased on television shows. In 1997, Clarkson appeared on the light-hearted comedy show Room 101 , in which a guest nominates things they hate in life to be consigned to nothingness. Clarkson dispatched caravans , houseflies ,

24776-410: Was just what I was looking for – an enthusiastic motoring writer who could make cars on telly fun. He was opinionated and irreverent, rather than respectfully po-faced. The fact that he looked and sounded exactly like a twenty-something ex-public schoolboy didn't matter. Nor did the impression there was a hint of school bully about him. I knew he was the man for the job. [...] Clarkson stood out because he

24939-409: Was later dropped leading to the decision that celebrities would be a part of the programme for the second series in a new segment entitled "Celebrity Face Off". Much like Top Gear's "Star in a Reasonably Priced Car", the segment involved two celebrities, who shared similar backgrounds or connections to certain elements (e.g. magicians) who competed against each other on a separate race track, to see who

25102-461: Was made available worldwide in 2016. On 11 May 2016, Clarkson confirmed on his Twitter feed that the series would be titled The Grand Tour , and air from a different location each week. On 9 March 2018, it was announced that Clarkson would host a revamped series of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? on ITV . Clarkson is in favour of personal freedom and against government regulation , stating that government should "build park benches and that

25265-437: Was not a new phenomenon, drawling parallels between the arrests of Alan Turing and Lucy Hicks Anderson , and that society could grow to accept trans people in the same way it has homosexuals , but accused teenage transgender rights movements of turning the debate into a culture war . He concluded, "I realise, of course, that the whole trans debate has been hijacked by lunatics who glue themselves to stuff and claim to be from

25428-410: Was perceived by the press to have upset so many people and groups, The Independent put him on trial for various "crimes", declaring him guilty on most counts. Responses to Clarkson's comments are often directed personally, with derogatory comments about residents of Norfolk leading to some residents organising a "We hate Jeremy Clarkson" club. In The Guardian's 2007 'Media 100' list, which lists

25591-664: Was prepared to vote for Labour "if there's an election tomorrow" citing Boris Johnson 's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic . However, in 2023 he expressed criticism of Starmer's proposed economic and education policies. Ahead of the 2024 general election , Clarkson reversed his previous view on Starmer and stated "I get, of course, that people are fed up with the Tories, but I’d rather vote for my dog than Sir Starmer’s merry bunch of ideological nincompoops" and cited his opposition to Labour's stance on farming. In September 2022, he described socialists as "disgusting people". Following

25754-698: Was released on 6 October 2016. Trailers for series one have used the music " Come with Me Now " by Kongos , while series two trailers have used " Live and Let Die " by Wings . As part of their marketing campaign, Amazon placed crashed Toyota Prius cars at Hackescher Markt in Berlin, in front of London King's Cross railway station , and on the Hollywood Walk of Fame outside the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. In mid-2016 DHL began sponsoring

25917-471: Was revealed in May 2016. Clarkson said the name brought to mind the tradition of Grand Tours , and reflected how the show would travel to several different countries to film. There was speculation that the show could be called Gear Knobs after a trademark application was made for that name by an associated company, but Clarkson stated in October 2015 that this would not be the title. He explained in April 2016 that

26080-564: Was subsequently removed on the orders of the local council, which "wouldn't believe my claim that it was a leaf blower", according to Clarkson on a Tiscali Motoring webchat. The whole affair was set up for his programme Speed , the Lightning was later returned to Wycombe Air Park . In a Top Gear episode, Clarkson drove the Bugatti Veyron in a race across Europe against a Cessna 182 piloted by co-presenter James May. The Veyron

26243-405: Was the fastest, alongside conducting interviews with the presenters. The timed laps for this segment not only involved a different track, but also used a Jaguar F-Type R-Dynamic coupe to create the lap time. The use of celebrities was later dropped prior to filming of the third series, to dedicate more time to films. When the programme was first conceived and created, the production team opted for

26406-520: Was viewed at home in England, where it was feared that the very experiences that completed the British gentleman might well undo him, were epitomised in the sarcastic nativist view of the ostentatiously "well-travelled" maccaroni of the 1760s and 1770s. Also worth noticing is that the Grand Tour not only fostered stereotypes of the countries visited but also led to a dynamic of contrast between northern and southern Europe. By constantly depicting Italy as

26569-498: Was written as the "sink of iniquity", many travelers were not kept from recording the activities they participated in or the people they met, especially the women they encountered. To the Grand Tourists, Italy was an unconventional country, for "The shameless women of Venice made it unusual, in its own way." Sir James Hall confided in his written diary to comment on seeing "more handsome women this day than I ever saw in my life", also noting "how flattering Venetian dress [was] — or perhaps

#790209