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Jeremy Clarkson has continued to back the Grand Tour reboot despite gloomy fans’ complaints.
Yesterday, Amazon held a premiere of the new Grand Tour show, which will star train enthusiast Francis Bourgeois and YouTubers James Engelsman and Thomas Holland (not that one).
And as part of the celebrations, Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May met the new trio at the Tower of London to pass the metaphorical motoring torch.
The ever-magnanimous Clarkson even shared a smiling selfie on Instagram featuring both new and old hosts.
‘Grand Tour handover,’ he captioned the photo. ‘Good luck, guys. #amazonshitcarshow returns.’
Yet despite Clarkson’s enthusiasm for his younger replacements, some fans still aren’t happy with the change.
‘One of the greatest downfalls in television history,’ commented a rather hyperbolic dali_d.
‘It won’t be the same now,’ agreed mintteamax. ‘Luckily we have Diddly Squat.’
While korhonenbourg_blanc added: ‘Respectfully, it was the three of you we tuned in for. Not the cars.’
The complaint that the Grand Tour won’t be the same without Clarkson, Hammond, and May is hardly a new one.
Fans have been moaning about the new presenters since news of the show’s return first broke.
Clarkson, however, has been emphatic that viewers should give Bourgeois, Engelsman, and Holland a chance.
‘I’ve seen the guys being chosen in the early days, and I’ve seen some of the stuff they’ve been doing. And it’s very, very good,’ he told the Radio Times.
‘It’s different because they’re three completely different people to us. But they’re bl**dy funny. You shall see. You shall see.
‘But no, I’m pretty confident it will work. I mean, touch wood, from everybody’s point of view. We all want it to work, and I’d love the idea that the Grand Tour carries on.’
And it should be noted that not everyone commenting on Clarkson’s post is being a negative Nancy.
‘If you guys are giving them the blessing, I am gonna have to check it out,’ wrote hbecker1102.
I’m excited to see the new trio,’ added boostedharry. ‘They’ll never be old Top Gear, but it looks like they’ll be a fitting group to carry on the spirit of the show.’
kodiejames13 meanwhile said they were excited for the new presenters and pointed out, ‘They didn’t pick random celebs; they picked genuine car enthusiasts.
‘Throttle House’s YouTube channel is fantastic, and Francis is odd as hell and super interesting.
The Grand Tour returns to Prime Video on September 4.