Clarkson embarks on Grand Tour

The Grand Tour

The new Amazon motoring series fronted by former Top Gear hosts Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May will be called The Grand Tour.

The name is designed to reflect the format of the show, with each episode presented on the road from a different country in front of a live studio audience housed in a giant marquee.

The show is set to launch this autumn following Amazon’s multimillion-pound deal to sign the trio of presenters, and producer Andy Wilman, last year.

The BBC opted not to renew Clarkson’s contract after he assaulted a producer on Top Gear during an argument over hot meal provisions following a day of filming. The incident followed a number of other controversies around the show and Clarkson.

Fellow presenters Hammond and May, along with producer Wilman, elected to leave the show and follow their friend in the new venture.

Top Gear was the highest-rated show on BBC2 and the biggest seller for the corporation’s commercial arm BBC Worldwide, and has since been rebooted with Chris Evans and former Friends star Mat Le Blanc in presenting roles.

The BBC announced today that the new-look Top Gear will launch on Sunday May 29.

Amazon’s main streaming rival Netflix will go head-to-head with the new Clarkson show when it carries the new episodes of Top Gear later this year.