The Grand Tour's New Presenters: 'I Hope We Prove the Critics Wrong'

For more than two decades, Top Gear and The Grand Tour were defined as much by the three men presenting them as by the cars they drove. Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May built one of television's most recognisable partnerships. Now, the new series — released Friday on Amazon Prime Video — has passed the baton to three very different presenters.

The new trio

YouTubers James Engelsman and Thomas Holland, who together present the Throttle House channel (over three million subscribers), are joined by Francis Bourgeois — a social media star better known for standing on railway platforms than behind the wheel of a supercar. The trio travel to Angola, Malaysia and Wales in the new series.

Both Engelsman and Holland say they went through the same doubts as the audience. 'We've had all the same reactions that the audience has had to every part of this process like, "Who would do that? What an idiot,"' Engelsman admitted. 'We've been through it all and we're just lucky enough to have come out the other side and realised, "OK, this is actually all stuff that could work."'

Bourgeois: the unexpected choice

For a show built around trio chemistry, finding the third presenter was the hardest part. Engelsman and Holland did chemistry tests with a number of candidates, but Bourgeois immediately felt different. 'As soon as Francis showed up, we were like: "That guy,"' Holland recalled. Their first meeting took place on a leather sofa in a hotel near Basingstoke, mostly discussing what cars they owned. By the time filming began, Holland says the three-person dynamic simply 'worked and clicked immediately.'

Bourgeois — who has more than two million followers — says he is excited for audiences to see the result: 'We've done our absolute best and the critics will be critics and I hope that we will prove them wrong.'

Mixed reviews

Initial press reviews have been lukewarm. The Independent gave three stars, describing the show as 'all rather safe' with presenters who feel 'stilted'. The Guardian agreed the trio are 'quite meek and pleasant, and without any obvious dynamic' — though it singled out Bourgeois as 'the most enthusiastic enthusiast currently working on planet Earth'. The Financial Times also gave three stars, praising the big-budget spectacles while questioning whether a personality-driven show can survive with a new team.

Hammond's blessing

Former presenter Richard Hammond, whose own next chapter involves a Welsh mansion and rare bats, told the BBC he had tuned in and wished them well: 'That's the most important thing for them is to make their show. We made our show and we're really good at being us. They're going to be really good at being them.'

Holland urges audiences to watch before judging: 'Have a watch and if you don't like it, you're well within your rights. I can't force anyone to like anything.'