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The new hosts of The Grand Tour have been approved by former stars Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May, all of whom gave the incoming motorheads advice ahead of filming.
Replacing former presenters are social media star and train enthusiast Francis Bourgeois, as well as YouTubers Thomas Holland and James Engelsman, best known for their motoring channel Throttle House. It’s fair to say they have big shoes to fill.
“They’ve been very supportive, very warm, very open in just saying, ‘Go ahead – make it your own,’ even though we have been sensitive in honouring what the show is all about, and keeping car enthusiasm central,” Bourgeouis tells The Independent, days before the new season’s premiere on Prime Video this Friday (4 September).
Thomas Holland, Francis Bourgeous and James Engelsman are ushering in new era for ‘The Grand Tour’ (Prime Video)
May had a more hands-off approach – and it was effective in its simplicity. “His sentiment was, ‘Don’t ask me – just do your thing,’” Holland explains. “It was the right thing to hear. It was like Yoda.”
Clarkson made a cameo in episode one, in which he told viewers: “I have been watching what they have been up to and I think you are going to love it.” Executive producer Andy Willman said on TellyCast that the Clarkson’s Farm star was happy to endorse the new version of the show after realising the new presenters weren’t “s***”.
Holland has admitted that “there was a lot of trepidation and fear” when he was first approached about becoming one of the new hosts, and was left wondering: “Do I do this?” But he also knew it didn’t matter what he was thinking: “Obviously I was going to do it”. He also addressed concerns any fans might have about this new era of the show, urging them to “give it a go”.
Nobody’s more surprised he’s the new host of The Grand Tour than “train guy” Bourgeois, who gained widespread popularity for his infectiously enthusiastic videos about trainspotting, which would often go viral on TikTok and Instagram. Five years ago, if you’d told him he’d be replacing Clarkson and co as host of the motoring show, he “would have considered what kind of mushrooms were on my al funghi pizza”.
His casting on the show was backed by his co-hosts thanks to his extremely niche car knowledge. “It was a huge green flag early on,” Engelsman says. “We all had the same reaction – ‘but he’s the train guy.’ But he’s also the car guy.” (Bourgeois worked for six months as a mechanical engineer at Rolls-Royce.)
New ‘Grand Tour’ host’ Francis Bourgeois – not just ‘the train guy’ (Prime Video)
Holland, who is originally from Canada and studied biology, founded Throttle House in 2015 “out of boredom”. The channel initially focused on BMW builds and occasional car reviews, but began to gain momentum when Engelsman joined in 2018.
Engelsman, who is from the UK, became part of Throttle House after suggesting ideas to Holland and asking to be part of his videos. The duo had their first meeting in person at a gathering of Miata car owners.
Of the new trio, Bourgeois is arguably the most famous, having amassed millions of followers and celebrity fans for his trainspotting videos.
The 24-year-old, real name Luke Nicolson, gained widespread popularity for his infectiously enthusiastic videos about trainspotting, which would often go viral on TikTok and Instagram, and even featured cameos from singer Joe Jonas and the Prince and Princess of Wales.
YouTube stars Thomas Holland and James Engelsman are bringing their car camaraderie to motoring show (Prime Video)
Beyond social media, Bourgeois has ventured into modelling, collaborating with brands including Gucci and The North Face, and has authored a book titled The Trainspotter’s Notebook. He also hosted the Channel 4 digital series Trainspotting with Francis Bourgeois, which featured appearances from footballer Jesse Lingard and musicians Sam Ryder and AJ Tracey.
The Grand Tour races back to screens on Friday (4 September).