James R | On 13, Oct 2019

The Grand Tour and former Top Gear producer Andy Wilman has dropped new details about the plans for the motoring show’s future at Amazon.

Amazon announced last year that they had entered into a deal with The Grand Tour hosts Jeremy, Richard, James, and Wilman, to develop brand new TV shows with them individually. Amazon also renewed The Grand Tour for Season 4, but in a new format that will see Clarkson, Hammond and May ditch the tent and take on big adventure road trips instead.

Wilman, who co-founded W Chump & Sons with the presenting trio for the Grand Tour, is shutting fown the production company, with BBC Studios-backed Expectation now producing The Grand Tour’s future episodes.

“We’re doing fewer shows to keep the quality control up, so there’s no need for Chump. We’re not busy enough,” Wilman explained to Deadline.

Details have already arrived for the solo projects in the pipeline. Our Man In… Japan is a six-part unscripted series from James May that sees him travel to the island country to understand more of its culture. Hammond, meanwhile, will co-star with Tory Belleci (MythBusters) in an untitled project that will see them shipwrecked in mysterious circumstances on a remote island. Rather than sitting around waiting to be rescued, the pair decide to take matters into their own hands as they use all of their engineering and expert scientific prowess not only to survive, but to construct an out-of-this-world, paradise island playground. Jeremy Clarkson will be making I Bought A Farm, again with Expectation and edited by Wilman. Wilman also has a solo project on the way, but has not devised his yet.

The Grand Tour’s future episodes, meanwhile, will comprise four unequal specials. The first has already been filmed and is being edited ready for release this year. The second will begin production in November ready for a 2020 release.

Willman also described their new Amazon deal as “a bit looser” and “more relaxed”, with all four of them able to work on projects from other UK broadcasters, but not for rival streaming companies, such as Netflix.

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