It's been a tough year or so for diehard Top Gear fans. Firstly, they had to suffer seeing their favourite programme crumble in front of their eyes after Jeremy Clarkson was given his marching orders. Then, they had to endure the disappointing reboot of Top Gear helmed by Chris Evans which only managed to retain a fraction of last year's viewing figures. But maybe, just maybe, there's light at the end of the tunnel for all those loyal petrolheads: Clarkson, Hammond and May will soon be returning to our screens in a brand new Amazon Prime series intriguingly titled 'The Grand Tour'.
The Grand Tour - a £160 million gamble
Clarkson, Hammond and May, along with producer Andy Wilman, have been handed an eye-watering budget of £160 million pounds with which to deliver a top-notch show. For Amazon, the goal is simple: they want to herd a huge number of the trio's fans to sign up to Amazon Prime, the annual membership scheme which offers free delivery, music, books, movies and, you've guessed it, tv shows. Since it'll likely be the only place to watch The Grand Tour, at least for the foreseeable future, fans will have no choice but to stump up the cash if they want to watch the show.
In turn, the huge budget brings huge pressure for Clarkson et al. Can they still deliver the same level of entertainment on The Grand Tour that they achieved during Top Gear's heyday? Jeff Bezos, the Amazon CEO will certainly hope so. Quite simply, The Grand Tour has to be a success, the bottom line demands it.
What can fans expect from The Grand Tour?
So far, 36 episodes have been commissioned, split into three series of twelve. Every show will be filmed in a different location around the world (hence the title 'The Grand Tour') from a giant tent complete with the show's logo on the roof. The first location was Johannesburg in South Africa and it is understood that the US, UK and Germany can expect shows to be filmed there too in the coming weeks.
Those interested in attending filming can apply for tickets and it is imagined that Clarkson, Hammond and May will try to replicate the banter they had with the audience during the filming of Top Gear. Of course, cars will be the main focus of the series and no doubt we will be treated to all manner of races, challenges and stunts just like we've seen in the past.
And that's just about all we know at the moment. All that remains is for everyone to wait patiently until Autumn 2016 and let Jezza and his chums deliver a stonking good show. Here's hoping that they manage just that, for the sake of fans and accountants alike!