The jaw-dropping news came over the weekend in the form of a Company’s House document: Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond are dissolving their production company, W. Chump and Sons, which made Prime Video's The Grand Tour.
It indicates the end of the road for the three presenters who have been working together for over two decades – May joined Hammond and Clarkson on Top Gear’s second season, which aired in 2003. Ever since, the car enthusiasts have stuck together: after Clarkson was dismissed from Top Gear in 2015 after allegedly punching a presenter, May and Hammond also quit the programme and they launched The Grand Tour with Amazon.
That incident was by no means Top Gear’s first controversy. Over the years, the popular series – which saw as many as over seven million viewers per episode at its peak – came under fire for everything from the presenters’ outrageous comments, to their dangerous stunts.
At the same time, the show, and its Prime spin-off, contained some brilliant, hilarious and unforgettable scenes. Here we pick some of our favourite Top Gear and The Grand Tour moments.
Supermarket Sweep in Hatchbacks
Less a game of Supermarket Sweep, more a race, this unforgettable episode saw the presenters try and get around a supermarket in a car without hitting anything. Of course, May was careful, Clarkson broke everything, and Hammond smashed into the rest.
Reliant Robin Rocket
This 2007 challenge, one of the show’s best, saw Clarkson, Hammond and May turn a Reliant Robin into a kind of space shuttle with the help of a bunch of scientists. Kudos to the BBC bosses for allowing them to have a go: the Robin really did get launched into the air on the back of a rocket, and it’s jaw-dropping stuff to watch.
Nissan GTR vs Bullet Train
Japan’s bullet trains are an incredible feat of human engineering, travelling today at a top speed of 375 mph (the max speed of an average UK train is 125mph). It makes total sense that Clarkson, May and Hammond would want to find out whether a trip across the country could be faster by car: Clarkson chooses a Nissan GTR for the task; May and Hammond take the train.
Campervan Challenge
This episode saw Clarkson, May and Hammond design their own campervans and then drive them down the motorway. Given that Clarkson made a kind of modernist tower-block, things become terribly precarious, especially when he is passed by lorries. Of course, his fellow presenters find his near death absolutely hilarious.
Why has my life gone so wrong?
The Vietnam trip is a fan favourite, and this clip of Clarkson shouting “My God. What the hell? Why has my life gone so wrong?” has a special place in the annals of Top Gear history. Not only is Clarkson getting sprayed with dirty puddle water objectively funny, but his heartfelt remarks resonated then – as they do now – with a lot of people. “Mood,” says one fan under the video. “My go to video for how everything is unfolding currently,” says another.
A log hand-break
This clip from their trip in Africa exemplifies Clarkson’s roaring hubris. “Sometimes my genius, it’s almost frightening...” he says to the camera seconds before his homemade log hand-break breaks his window.
Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz on Celebrity Laps
Impossible to watch without grinning, the charming Cruise and Diaz prove their superstardom taking on the Top Gear racecourse. Their sincere enthusiasm makes it one of the best Celebrity Laps of all time.
The North Pole expedition
In 2007, Clarkson and May set out to become the first people to reach the North Magnetic Pole in Canada in a vehicle (Hammond tried to get there in a dog sled). Less about their stirring efforts (they ended up being hundreds of miles off their target), the episode’s a favourite because we get to see the presenters navigate the truly stupendous environment.
Hammond fills May’s caravan with water
We love a prank, and this Grand Tour antic was one of the best in recent years. As May walks towards the caravan door you can feel yourself holding your breath; May almost gets washed away.
