Richard Hammond has revealed he would have continued making The Grand Tour with Jeremy Clarkson and James May, but accepted the show’s end because his co-stars were ready to move on.
The 56-year-old presenter said the trio had an unspoken agreement to finish the motoring series together, meaning he felt he had little choice when the decision was made.
“If the others had said let’s carry on, I’d have carried on,” Hammond said on the High Performance podcast.
Hammond, Clarkson, May and executive producer Andy Wilman worked together for more than two decades, beginning with the BBC’s Top Gear in 2003 before moving to Amazon’s The Grand Tour, which concluded in 2024.
Hammond said continuing without all four members of the team would not have worked, describing their professional relationship as a complex partnership built over 25 years.
“If we weren’t all in that place of wanting to do it, then … I wouldn’t want to do it,” he said.
A career he considers a privilege
Reflecting on their years working together, Hammond said he had been fortunate to take part in projects that he and his colleagues could not fully appreciate at the time.
He described the experience as extraordinary, despite the challenges involved in producing the shows.
The end of The Grand Tour followed Clarkson’s comments that the team had “done everything”. He also suggested that terrorism and conflict had made it harder to film ambitious international projects.
The trio’s move to Amazon came after Clarkson was dismissed from Top Gear in 2015 following an altercation with a producer. Hammond and May subsequently left the BBC programme and reunited with Clarkson for The Grand Tour.
Hammond’s life after motoring television
Hammond has previously spoken about the emotional impact of leaving Top Gear. In a video shared on the DriveTribe YouTube channel, he recalled being in tears after the final studio recording.
His television career has also included serious personal risks. In 2006, he suffered a major crash while filming Top Gear, when a jet-powered car travelling at around 320mph crashed at the former RAF Elvington air base. He spent about two weeks in a coma before recovering and returning to the show in 2007.
The BBC later paused Top Gear following a 2022 accident involving former England cricketer Freddie Flintoff, who was taken to hospital. The programme’s insurance costs were subsequently reported to have become unsustainable.
Since The Grand Tour ended, Hammond has pursued other projects, including the Who We Are Now podcast with one of his daughters. He has also discussed plans to expand his car restoration business, The Smallest Cog, potentially adding a roadhouse, restaurant, café and museum.
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