Jeremy Clarkson has given the new hosts of The Grand Tour a very simple piece of advice as they prepare to take over from him, Richard Hammond and James May.
And it is suitably blunt.
Clarkson reportedly told Francis Bourgeois, James Engelsman and Thomas Holland “not to f**k it up” as the trio prepare to front the revamped Prime Video series.
The new six-part series marks a major change for the motoring show, with Clarkson, Hammond and May having stepped away after the final episode of their run was released in 2024.
Bourgeois, Engelsman and Holland will now take the wheel when The Grand Tour returns to Prime Video on September 4.
The new presenters have already received Clarkson’s approval, with the former host revealing that he has been keeping an eye on what they have been doing during the transition.
He said: “I've got to be honest with you. I've actually been watching what they've been up to for the past year and a half, and they're very, very good. You're gonna love it.”
The new line-up is made up of three very different personalities.
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Francis Bourgeois rose to fame through his hugely popular trainspotting videos on social media, but he is also a serious car enthusiast with a background in mechanical engineering.
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James Engelsman and Thomas Holland are the duo behind the successful motoring YouTube channel Throttle House, which has more than three million subscribers.
The trio were chosen following an extensive search for new presenters, with producers keen to find people who were genuine motoring enthusiasts rather than simply famous faces who happen to like cars.
That approach also fits with advice Clarkson himself previously gave about the future of the programme.
He said he would rather see “three complete unknowns” who were “absolute petrolheads” take over than established celebrities.
The new series will see the presenters travel around the world for a number of ambitious challenges, including driving across the Angolan desert, exploring Malaysia and testing performance cars in California.
They will also be joined by some familiar faces, with Clarkson, Hammond and May making cameo appearances as part of the handover.
Andy Wilman, who worked with Clarkson, Hammond and May for years and remains involved with the new series as a consultant, has also backed the new presenters.
He said the outgoing team does not have a monopoly on making entertaining television about cars.
“We - as in the outgoing team - don't have a monopoly on some blokes doing entertaining things around cars. We wouldn't want a monopoly,” he said.
Wilman has previously explained that the new hosts were chosen because they bring their own personalities to the show rather than trying to imitate Clarkson, Hammond and May.
He said the three new presenters have “passion and knowledge” and are “in no way cardboard cutouts of the old three.”
The transition is likely to be closely watched by fans, given the enormous popularity of Clarkson, Hammond and May during their eight-year run on The Grand Tour.
However, the new team has already shown signs of having its own chemistry, particularly Engelsman and Holland, who have worked together on Throttle House for almost a decade.
Bourgeois has also brought his own distinctive personality to the line-up, having built a huge following through his enthusiastic train videos before making the leap into motoring television.
The first trailer for the new series has already teased plenty of the extravagant challenges and humour associated with The Grand Tour, including the trio meeting former Formula One champion Jenson Button and taking on a series of unusual motoring challenges.
Clarkson, Hammond and May may have left the driving seats, but their involvement in the new series suggests they are more than happy to see the show continue.
Now, with Clarkson’s warning ringing in their ears, Bourgeois, Engelsman and Holland have the difficult task of proving that The Grand Tour can successfully enter a new era.
