The Grand Tour makes its grand debut
3 minute read | December 12, 2016
For those that have followed Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May during their Top Gear days the format will be familiar. For the uninitiated, the premise is simple. Three car journalists discuss, test drive and argue about the latest cars, sharing deep insight and shallow insults against a backdrop of over the top driving sequences aimed at getting the most out of the vehicles on offer.
For car lovers, the Grand Tour is tantamount to erotica and a return to former glory for the trio as they ditch the confines of the BBC budget and PC establishment for the freedom of the internet. Amazon has spent big on the show, a move that has proved a success for the streaming giant as it became the biggest premiere on the streaming service with millions of members tuning in during the opening weekend.
When we say Amazon spent big, we mean BIG. To put the numbers into context, Amazon is reported to have spent £160million for three seasons of the show at 12 episodes per season. That equates to £4.5million an episode, roughly £4million more than the BBC’s budget. So what have we learnt? The BBC is cheap and Amazon has money to burn.
Kicking off with a sly wink and a nod to Clarkson’s infamous exit from the BBC, the opening was a call to the size and scope of this new series, this is Top Gear on steroids.
Without the restrictions of a studio to hold them back the team are literally on tour as each episode is set in a different country. The premiere opens in a Californian Desert with the presenters manhandling three muscle cars toward a large crowd surrounding a larger stage as the Hothouse Flowers cover ‘I can see clearly now the rain has gone’.
Jet planes kiss the sky as a van burns in the background and a crowd of thousands parts to lead the team to the stage. STEROIDS!
Proving that the internet is without reproach, the trio tap dances through jokes about travellers, the BBC and bestiality before introducing us to ‘the tent’. A large structure that will act as a travelling studio for the foreseeable. Inside audience members sit, not stand, (remember this isn’t Top Gear) as we are reintroduced to the team. Hammond is short, May is slow and Clarkson is Clarkson. All caught up? Good.
Now it’s time to get onto the topic of the episode, the holy trinity of supercars.
The McClaren P1, Porsche 918 and the Ferarri LaFerrari (so good they named it twice) would be going head to head to head in a series of challenges to decide which is truly the best of the best. Cue banter, incredible shots of some of the most powerful vehicles on the road doing what they do best and May bashing as they put these incredible machines through their paces. Fans of Top Gear will remember a similar segment kiboshed due to the manufacturers’ refusal to compete, for whatever reason, although Amazon’s seemingly cavernous pockets have greased the wheels.
In case you don’t feel like you’re in familiar enough territory, they have a new track lovingly named the Eboladrome, there is a new anonymous test driver called the American (his identity isn’t a secret, he’s just a Nascar driver), and a chat segment titled Conversation Street. Unfortunately, the celebrity in a reasonably priced car segment didn’t make it, although the guys did manage to draw attention to it through a few visual gags.
Not everything worked, however, one particular segment regarding the difference between American English and the Queens English was over produced and felt particularly jarring. It’s a small niggle, but one that stands out in an otherwise excellent first outing.
The Grand Tour is like an old pair of shoes. Comfortable and reassuringly familiar but nothing new. The jokes are edgier and the budget is bigger but the hosts, insults and topics are achingly similar, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The Grand Tour started out with a big reputation and a lot to live up to, meaning if they swung too far away from the familiar format it was likely to offend long time fans.
For those on the fence, watch it or don’t, the world will keep turning regardless. For those who are die-hard fans of the presenters and topic, get ready for more of the same, but on a much grander scale.
Back to resources