James May returns to TV for the first time since The Grand Tour’s final episode with new show
It comes after he opened up on why the hit TV show drew to a close
THE Grand Tour star James May looks set to return to screens for the first time since the hit motoring show came to an end.
James and his co-stars, Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond said a fond farewell to the popular Prime Video show last month but it won’t be long until James is reaching screens in a whole other capacity.
The star looks set to front James May and The Dull Men’s Club on the Quest channel and it is just days away from hitting screens.
Fans will be able to see James and his ‘Dull Men’ answering some of “the essential conundrums you didn’t know you had” when the series hits screens on Tuesday 5 November at 9pm on Quest.
Speaking about making the show, James told : “It’s a bit farty to say this, but what used to be considered the attributes of basic manliness are being mocked.
“The idea of being thorough, or being able to make things or use tools: it’s all considered a bit dad, a bit dull.
“So in the show we decided to headbutt it by being interesting about being dull while acknowledging that everyone thinks the things we do are dull.”
It comes as James previously revealed the “real reason” for the popular trio’s time on The Grand Tour to come to an end.
Speaking to , he admitted his health was a factor, remarking: “I won’t really miss the stress of it because I’m old now and a bit frail compared with back then [when we started].”
The finale – titled The Grand Tour: One for the Road – premiered on September 13 and marked the end of James, Jeremy and Richard’s two-decade onscreen collaboration.
The three men began working together on BBC‘s Top Gear and continued on with The Grand Tour.
James added: “In the end, we got to the point where we said, ‘No, we must stop whilst we’re still vaguely ahead.
“We mustn’t keep going until we embarrass ourselves.
“I’ve always said if it ends tomorrow, which it nearly did at one point, that I should just be grateful that I had the opportunity.
“I could always have gone back to some sort of proper life and done something responsible and sensible.”
Meanwhile, Jeremy Clarkson revealed his own reason for stepping back from The Grand Tour.
The Clarksons Farm star wrote in The Sunday Times: “After 36 years of talking about cars on television, I’m packing it in because I’m too old and fat to get into the cars I like and not interested in driving those I don’t.”
The Grand Tour episode guide
How many seasons of The Grand Tour are there and where do they take place?
The Grand Tour launched on Prime Video in 2016 and quickly became one of the streamer’s biggest hits as hosts Jeremy, 63, James, 60, and Richard, 52, felt it was time they move on from Top Gear hit the road.
They have now brought five epic series of motoring adventures to the small screen, each taking place in different locations and even featuring celebrity guests.
Series 1
- Series 1 aired from 2016 to 2017 and took the presenters to a number of foreign locales, including Jordan, Morocco and Italy.
- The series is comprised of 13 episodes, with episodes 7 and 8 making up a two-part special set in Namibia, where the trio embarked on an epic beach buggy challenge.
Series 2
- Jeremy, Richard and James returned for more motoring actor in series 2, and drove their way across Europe as they tested out some of their dream vehicles like the Bugatti Chiron and the McLaren 720S.
- This series, which aired from 2017 to 2018, is made up of 11 episodes. It features regular ‘studio segments’ filmed in the team’s permanent tent in the Cotswolds, and had regular participation from celebrities with two guests going head-to-head on timed laps every episode.
Series 3
- In 2019, the presenting trio crossed continents – from North America, to South America, to Europe and Asia – putting both new vehicles and classic sports cars through their paces.
- This series was the last to feature the regular studio segments, car reviews and timed laps.
- To mark the end of this era the final episode’s last segment includes a montage of scenes featuring the presenters over the course of their career as a trio, not only from this programme, but also from their time hosting Top Gear.
Series 4
- This series marked a complete change in format for The Grand Tour as it consists entirely for feature-length specials which aired between 2019 and 2021.
- The first two chronicle Jeremy, Richard and James’ epic adventures across Asia and Africa, while the third and fourth episodes saw them put foreign cars to the test on their home turf. And fitting American vehicles through Scottish roads is no easy feat.
Series 5
- Following the same format as series 4, the fifth and final series of The Grand Tour also consists of four feature-length specials.
- The first of these hits screens in 2022 and follows the trio as they travelled through Norway, Sweden and Finland in three Rally-Inspired Sports Saloons.
- The second episode was another Euro adventure while the third took the presenters back to Africa.
- The fourth instalment of the series and final ever episode of The Grand Tour, titled One for the Road, premieres on September 13, 2024. It promises to be an emotional one as the trio set out on one epic final adventure in Zimbabwe and reflect on their 22-year-long working relationship and friendship.
