Grand Tour shake-up as original trio 'replaced by younger and cooler new hosts'

Daily Mirror

2 days ago

The Grand Tour was hosted by Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond for Prime Video but there's now speculation over their potential replacements on the show
There's speculation over the line-up for the Grand Tour, with news hosts said to have signed up. It's been teased that Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond 's apparent replacements are "younger" and "cooler".
Jeremy, 65, James, 62, and Richard, 55, hosted the Prime Video show together from 2016 until it ended last year. They are looking back over it in four special episodes though. One has aired so far and it was previously announced that the others will be released "later this year and into 2026". It has now been reported that their replacements for the Grand Tour have been decided. It's claimed that Thomas Holland and James Engelsman - who run the Throttle House channel on YouTube - will front the motoring TV show with viral trainspotter Francis Bourgeois, 24, moving forward.
‌
‌
A source has told the Sun: "Thomas and James are as knowledgeable about motors as Jeremy, Richard and James - the only difference is they're younger, cooler and a lot more social media savvy. Francis became famous for his love of trainspotting and will be bringing his humour to the show."
Thomas and James are behind the brand Throttle House, which has more than 3 million subscribers on YouTube. Through the channel, the pals post "everything from car reviews to track tests, to epic adventures". Launched by Thomas, the channel dates back to 2013 and James later joined as a presenter in 2018.
Francis - whose real name is Luke Nicolson - instead rose to fame through TikTok in 2021. He's known for posting content about trains, including footage of himself trainspotting, and has more than 3 million followers on the platform.
‌
It was reported earlier this year that he was being considered for the Grand Tour. A source previously told the Sun: "Francis is a big noise online and Amazon producers are hoping to bring him into the mainstream. [...] Francis is not just a social media sensation but trained as a mechanical engineer so knows his stuff."
The latest speculation about the line-up comes after former host James May suggested that a younger generation should take the helm of motoring shows like the Grand Tour. He spoke about stepping back on Australia 's ABC News in March.
‌
After suggesting that he wouldn't reunite with Jeremy and Richard in such a role, he said: "It was probably time for us to stop because we always said we would land it ... we would land it with dignity not fly it into the cliffs. That's the way we used to talk about it. We have come close to flying it into the cliffs a few times so it was probably the right time to stop."
Discussing the future, he suggested that the former Top Gear presenters are "getting on a bit". He then proposed that a "younger generation" should find a "new way" of discussing motoring, as opposed to their potentially "dated" view.
‌
He said at the time: "We're getting on a bit. Our view of the subject is probably becoming a bit dated. It's time for a younger generation to reevaluate it and think of a new way of talking about things like cars and transport generally."
James expressed hope that "somebody out there" will be able to, though said he wasn't sure "exactly" how. He said in the interview: "I don't know how they're going to do it exactly but I feel sure there must be somebody out there."