The Grand Tour’s Richard Hammond announces ‘exciting’ new project as his Amazon Prime show with Jeremy Clarkson and James May ends
Richard Hammond has announced an “exciting” new project straight after his Amazon Prime show with Jeremy Clarkson and James May ended.
The 54-year-old presenter ended his years-long TV collaboration with his fellow ‘petrolheads’ on Friday with the release of One For The Road.
But just hours later, he revealed that he had something new in the pipeline with his restoration company, The Smallest Cog.
Richard shared a photo on Instagram and wrote: ‘It’s the end of an era. BUT the start of something exciting, we have not 1 but 2 of the latest The Grand Tour cars!
“We’re really excited to get started with these icons and preserve their special memories, but also make them usable again so we can enjoy them.”
Richard Hammond has wasted no time in announcing an ‘exciting’ new project after his Amazon Prime show with Jeremy Clarkson and James May ended
The 54-year-old presenter ended his years-long TV collaboration with his fellow ‘petrol-heads’ on Friday with the release of One For The Road
Richard founded The Smallest Cog in 2021 and the company is featured in his Discovery+ series Richard Hammond’s Workshop.
Richard said last week that he was preparing to “wake up every day and cry” as he said goodbye to his partnership with Jeremy and James.
Richard admitted on Monday’s This Morning broadcast ahead of the final episode that he struggled to come to terms with the ending.
Joined by hosts Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard, he reflected on his career on Top Gear, saying: “It took off and we didn’t know it was going to get out of hand. It feels really weird, I can’t believe it.”
“I’ve been doing this for 22 years because of that partnership. I will be eternally grateful to Jeremy and James.”
Richard continued: ‘It hasn’t really sunk in yet. I think in six months I’ll wake up every morning and cry.
“When I got the job, I was 31, I burst into tears when they called. I said to my wife, ‘This is going to change everything,’ and it did.”
In their latest adventure, viewers see Jeremy, Richard and James ignore Mr. Wilman’s instructions and drive to Zimbabwe in the three cars they’ve always wanted.
But just hours later he revealed he already had something new in the pipeline with his restoration company, The Smallest Cog
In the very last episode, the trio cross the width of Zimbabwe in three cars, all of which are unsuited to the task, as they bid farewell on a high note
The trio embark on a breathtaking road trip through beautiful, challenging landscapes in a Lancia Montecarlo, a Ford Capri 3-litre and a Triumph Stag. The episode ends emotionally on an oddly familiar island.
Andy Wilman, a regular producer, told the Edinburgh TV Festival that filming the episode was “quite tearful” and “quite heartbreaking”.
Asked why the trio had decided to end the global phenomenon, Wilman said: ‘We’ve reached the point where enough is enough. Plus, there’s a sense that we want to end things on our own terms. It had to end and we wanted to be the ones to call it a day.’
They shot the final episode in September last year. The hosts return to Kubu Island, Botswana, where their first-ever special was filmed. Wilman described the episode as “deliberately gentle”, as the three stars wanted to get back to basics.