James May has revealed The Grand Tour ended because they had “exhausted” the show and didn’t want to “overstay their welcome”.
May, along with hosts Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond, found fame on BBC’s Top Gear before the trio moved to Amazon Prime with The Grand Tour in 2016.
Despite earning rave reviews for six seasons, the motoring show ended last summer with its special final episode, One For The Road.
May was asked why he and his co-stars wrapped up the show despite it being so beloved by fans, during an appearance on Channel 4’s Sunday Brunch.
“I just couldn't stand them!" the presenter, 62, initially joked.
He then explained: “We always said, between us, that we would end it with some race, hopefully, rather than fly into the White Cliffs of Dover, desperately trying to keep it along - and I think we just about managed that.”
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May added: "We’d exhausted the subject, we are getting on a bit. I believe it’s time for a new generation to find a new take - I don’t know what it is.”
When asked by host Simon Rimmer if the decision felt right, he said: "Yes, I think so. You can’t overstay your welcome.
“You’re supposed to leave the audience wanting more. It’s the rule of show business."
The Grand Tour saw May, Hammond, 55, and Clarkson, 64, give car reviews, go on road trips to far-flung locations, and take on gruelling challenges in rugged terrains.
Hammond said last year that they had wanted to end the show on their own terms.
“We'd always said we wanted it to end at a moment, in a place, in a manner of our choosing,” he told The Standard in September.
“Because it kind of took off almost beyond our control. We were just making our car show. Next thing we know it's absolutely enormous.
“So we couldn't really control the take off. But we could control the landing and we wanted to end it on our own terms.”
