So as you may already know, filming for the new Amazon Prime show The Grand Tour has started. This is the new show to come from Clarkson, Hammond and May this autumn, but of course you knew that already as well. It'll be interesting to see what kind of format the show is presented and what areas are covered. Here are five reasons why I think The Grand Tour will be a grand success.
1. Free from the BBC
It's no secret that Jeremy Clarkson is outspoken, over the years he has upset many people and become a thorn in certain people's side - cough, Piers Morgan. You always had a sense there was a room full of BBC executives that feared what would come out of Jezza's mouth and when you look back it, it's a wonder he lasted as long as he did.
Yes, he and Top Gear were on of the Beeb's biggest asset but even so, you can't deny Clarkson really tested the limits of what he could get away with. Thanks to the infamous 'fracas' Clarkson, Hammond and May left the BBC and scurried to the refuge of Amazon Prime.
The new online channel should allow more freedom of speech and more creativity from the former Top Gear trio which can only be a good for the viewers. Clarkson, Hammond and May will now be able to get on with it without having a BBC exec censoring and monitoring everything they do.
2. New start, new format
I will always be a fan of the Clarkson, Hammond and May incarnation of Top Gear and nothing will ever, ever change that. Having said that, towards the end the show was becoming a little silly and dare I say it, a little dull. Series 22 for example, the last to be hosted by the trio saw a race across St. Petersburg where Hammond was on a bike, May was in a car, Clarkson was in a hovervan and The Stig on public transport?
Sound familiar? Yes, that's because they did virtially the same thing across London a few years prior to that. So maybe Top Gear as we know ending was not necessarily a bad thing and I think a fresh start will rejuvenate their thinking. They still present in a studio but now it's a big tent that will tour the world. The first destination was South Africa, other locations will include Germany, USA and the bright lights of....North Yorkshire.
3. More money
It is reported that Amazon have given the trio and their production team a war chest of £160million. Yes, £160million! To put that in perspective, the latest series of Top Gear had funds of a reported £650,000 per episode which means the overall budget would have been £3,900,000. So the trio will not only have more freedom but they will now have more money to play about it. This means we should be treated to a plethora of exotic metal and extravagant locations.
4. Winning chemistry
Clarkson, Hammond and May are thick as thieves and it's clear the outstanding chemistry that have on screen together. The new incarnation of Top Gear has more presenters to build a small army but chemistry is still a work-in-progress. To be fair the new presenters have only been together a few months but I don't think they will ever be able to match the same levels of camaraderie as the boisterous trio.
The chemistry between them is so good in fact that even a video of them trying to assemble a DHL box is able to provide good levels of entertainment. I think the BBC feel gutted to have let the three musketeers go but let's be honest, the firm was put into a inescapab;e posiition.
5. Better scheduling
The BBC made the mistake of putting the new series of Top Gear right in the middle of the Euro 2016 tournament so it's no wonder ratings struggled. In fairness, the show was originally due to start on the 8th of May but it had to be pushed back although it still would have conflicted with the footie anyway.
The Grand Tour makes no such mistake - it will air in the autumn (no confirmed date) and is likely to draw in more viewers. Ok, so it may the show may be on an online channel that requires a paid subscription but I doubt that will put many people off. The Grand Tour boys will also be brimming with confidence over the fact the latest series of Top Gear was not a success which resulted in Chris Evans to step down as host.
It's fair to say I have a lot of optimism for the new show and I am really looking forward to what the tearaway trio have in-store.