Advertisement

James May says the coronavirus pandemic will limit The Grand Tour's future plans

Photo credit: Amazon
Photo credit: Amazon

From Digital Spy

James May has explained how the coronavirus pandemic complicates the future of motoring show The Grand Tour.

Presenting alongside his long-time colleagues Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond, May and the boys have traversed the globe while working on the Amazon Prime Video series, just like they did on Top Gear.

However, new restrictions over entering and travelling through different countries will now limit what they can achieve on screen.

Photo credit: Amazon
Photo credit: Amazon

Related: How Top Gear avoids awkward crossovers with The Grand Tour

"The effects of lockdown on making TV shows is that we have to retract our ambitions for travel. It's not just, 'Can we get on an aeroplane and go somewhere?' but, 'Are we going to be able to do anything when we get there?'," he told The Sun.

"We need to talk to people and it's an enormous crew with all our kit plus 10 or 15 vans. It's very difficult and we don't want to compromise it. It limits the places we can go. I think Amazon would say the same thing.

"We would rather wait a bit longer rather than rushing it for the sake of it and coming out with something half-arsed."

Photo credit: The Grand Tour - Amazon Prime
Photo credit: The Grand Tour - Amazon Prime

Related: The Grand Tour's James May says he won't do the show for "much longer"

It's not all bad news though – May went on to suggest that filming in somewhere like Ireland "would be exotic" for certain viewers around the world, "so maybe we have to start thinking a bit more like that".

He noted: "You'd struggle to go to a part of the world that's better looking than Scotland and it's on our doorstep, along with Cornwall and Dorset and Wales and the Ring of Kerry in Ireland.

"There are all sorts of lovely places without having to go too far. Everything is postponed, it's not cancelled."

The Grand Tour airs on Amazon Prime Video.


The information in this story is accurate as of the publication date. While we are attempting to keep our content as up-to-date as possible, the situation surrounding the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic continues to develop rapidly, so it's possible that some information and recommendations may have changed since publishing. For any concerns and latest advice, visit the World Health Organisation. If you're in the UK, the National Health Service can also provide useful information and support, while US users can contact the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.


Digital Spy now has a newsletter – sign up to get it sent straight to your inbox.

Looking for more TV recommendations and discussion? Head over to our Facebook Group to see new picks every day, and chat with other readers about what they're watching right now.

You Might Also Like