David Farnor | On 03, Jun 2016

Amazon’s The Grand Tour is kicking off in Johannesburg, the VOD service has announced.

The new Clarkson, Hammond and May motoring show, following their split with the BBC, will record its first studio segments for the opening episode in South Africa’s Johannesburg on 17th July 2016. This pre-recorded material, all housed within a giant tent, will then be incorporated with other films and videos.

Amazon is giving fans the opportunity to win one of three pairs of tickets, travel and accommodation to be part of the recording in Johannesburg.
To enter for a chance to win, entrants have to share, via Twitter, a photo or video of the most unusual place they’ve ever put up a tent, using the hashtag #TheGrandTourJoburg. The top 10 entries will be shortlisted by an Amazon Prime Video panel, and the final three winners will be selected by Clarkson, Hammond and May.

The Grand Tour will then continue to record episodes in other countries around the world, with competitions running for every instalment to give fans a chance to be in the audience.

The competition closes at 23:59 BST on 8th June 2016.

For moer information, visit amazon.co.uk/joburg..

And the name of Clarkson, Hammond & May’s Amazon Prime Video show is…

Originally published 11th May

Update: Amazon is offering a £20 discount on an annual Amazon Prime membership to celebrate the naming of The Grand Tour. You can sign up for £59 a year, instead of the usual £79, until midnight on Monday 16th May. Click here for more information.

After months of deliberation and recording videos of them deliberating, Amazon has finally confirmed that Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond & James May have chosen a name for their Amazon Prime Video car show. The name? The Grand Tour.

“Thing is,” says Clarkson, “we’ll be travelling the world hosting each episode in a different country, from a giant tent. It’s a sort of ‘grand tour,’ if you like. So we’ve decided to call it The Grand Tour.”

Underwhelmed? So is James May.

“I wanted to call it Nigel, or Roger,” he adds in a statement to the press. “We needed a name, and they’re names.”

“I already love camping,” comments Hammond, “but this is something else. We are like our pioneering and prospecting forebears, sallying forth into a new frontier of broadcasting, and making our home where…”

But at this point, the press release says, Clarkson and May strangled him with a guy rope.

So, there you have it. The Grand Tour, as its name suggests, will feature short films shot in different locations around the globe, along with a portion of the show recorded in front of a studio audience – again, in a different location around the world every week. These segments will be pre-recorded, but filmed in front of a live audience, all housed within a giant tent.

Amazon customers around the world will have the chance to be in the audience when tickets are released through a sweepstakes this summer. Details of the location schedule and information on how to apply for tickets will be announced shortly. Head to www.amazon.com/thegrandtour to get news about the show first.

The series will launch this autumn exclusively on Amazon Prime Video.

Watch: Clarkson, May and Hammond struggle to name their new Amazon show

8th April 2016

The race of Top Gear and the three men formerly known as presenters of Top Gear to win over viewers has officially begun.

Last week, the BBC presented its first teaser of its rebooted car series, hosted by Chris Evans, Matt LeBlanc, German racing driver Sabine Schmitz and a host of other faces. The video, which ended with Chris throwing up after getting out of a speeding car driven by Schmitz, promised loud noises, fast vehicles and lots of japes – something emphasised by the scandal surrounding the shooting of a stunt near the Cenotaph in London.

Soon after, Jeremy Clarkson tweeted that he would be doing “the most dangerous stunt I’ve ever attempted”. The battle of one-upmanship was on.

I survived the day. Just. pic.twitter.com/I9IB9OGwv1

— Jeremy Clarkson (@JeremyClarkson) April 1, 2016

Now, though, Amazon has shifted its marketing campaign down a gear for its exclusive car show, instead releasing footage of Clarkson, May and Hammond brainstorming ideas for their new show. Which still doesn’t haven’t a name.

It’s a smart move from Amazon Studios, as the video proves a highly entertaining reminder of what made the BBC’s former incarnation of Top Gear so entertaining for so many – the relationship between its central trio. While BBC’s new Top Gear will return in May, meanwhile, Amazon’s car show will be driving onto the streaming service in autumn, giving buzz around its rival enough time to fade away before it rides into town.

Here’s the video:

 

Thanks for your suggestions. But be aware: for legal reasons, we cannot use a name with the word "gear" in it.

— Jeremy Clarkson (@JeremyClarkson) April 8, 2016

 

For more information on the series, see How can I watch The Grand Tour online in the UK?

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