In the brief span of just eight years ago, Jeremy Clarkson kickstarted The Grand Tour (made available on Prime Video, every Friday), an epic journey that began with him cruising the Mojave Desert in California. He was escorted by the Breitling Jet Team, and the Irish rock group, the Hothouse Flowers, shockingly served as the resident band.
In the years that have passed, there have been numerous events. Clarkson had a handful of near misses with show cancellations – the most infamous one being the scandalous opinion piece about Meghan Markle. His prior programme, Top Gear, is currently on a pause, due to a mishap featuring its new host, Andrew Flintoff.
While Top Gear is in a state akin to TV limbo, The Grand Tour has taken a leap further and is venturing into undiscovered territories with its final full-length episode, One for the Road. This marks the conclusion of a lifelong journey of petrol engine-related escapades helmed by Clarkson, and his co-presenters, Richard Hammond and James May.
People’s opinions of their TV style are polarized, somewhat like the reaction to Marmite. There will be some people celebrating their departure, yet their fans will certainly offer a contrasting viewpoint. For these enthusiasts, the concluding episode – where Clarkson, Hammond, and May navigate through Zimbabwe in vintage cars – offers mixed appeal. There are appealing elements, but there are also moments where the trio seem to be just going through the paces.
The Grand Tour: One for the Road review – As Clarkson, Hammond, and May venture into the unknown, could this be the swansong car TV’s heyday?
The farewell episode offers more than satisfactory closure; May and Hammond express emotional sentiments about leaving (although, Clarkson claims to feel the same but doesn’t quite show it). Their journey begins in Zimbabwe’s Far East, where they have brought along three dream vehicles. Clarkson drives a Lancia, Hammond pilots a Ford Capri (the standard banana-yellow colour but with a black hood), and May takes the wheel of a Triumph Stag. The adventure unfolds in the usual manner, Hammond’s Capri encounters continuous issues, while his fellow hosts forge ahead and are sipping cold beers when he finally catches up. It’s traditional male-oriented television cruising on auto-pilot.
“One For the Road” had its highlights, though they weren’t all commendable. There’s a scene where Clarkson equates the inside of his vehicle to the conditions of “Calcutta”, drawing humorous chastisement from May. However, expressing disapproval at this seems moot, as they’ve already noted. As Clarkson remarks, “Feel free to lodge complaints; you’ll receive an automated message directing you to save your breath. Dial 1800 – Clear Off!”
It’s not entirely gloomy, though. The landscapes represented are simply breathtaking – astonishingly, Clarkson sees a resemblance between the rocky terrains of Zimbabwe and Ireland, attributing it to its green and hilly features. Long-time admirers of the trio, dating back to their days on Top Gear, will feel a wave of nostalgia as they journey towards Botswana, reminiscing their inaugural TG international episode shot in the same saline plains back in 2007.
But why the departure? At the root of it, Clarkson, now 64, views himself as too advanced in years – however, the triumph of his other Prime Video project, “Clarkson’s Farm,” must have been influential. Moreover, he recognises that the times have indeed transformed and automobiles no longer hold the same appeal.
“There are several reasons why this programme is getting the chop,” he explains. “But principally, my nonchalance towards electric cars. They resemble mundane home appliances, like laundry machines or microwaves. They prevent enjoyment or speculative analysis. They’re simply junk.”
While it may seem that The Grand Tour had the potential to endure a couple more seasons, it was becoming increasingly evident that, much like the electric cars that Clarkson loathes, its energy was dwindling. As this moderately satisfactory episode wraps up, it’s hard to ignore the sense that its journey is over. As the end credits start to play, the remaining unknowns are whether there will be more car-themed television and if Clarkson should have brought back Hothouse Flowers to conclude the show.