The Grand Tour announces the new presenters—can they fill the gap left behind?
Three new faces are stepping into motoring TV’s biggest shoes, and fans are wondering if the magic can be recreated.
One of motoring TV’s biggest shake-ups in years. The Grand Tour, Amazon Prime Video’s globe-trotting car show that once reigned supreme in the genre, just dropped a bombshell: a completely new lineup of hosts is taking the helm later this year. And honestly? Fans are already gearing up for a heated debate online about whether this reboot can ever recapture what made the original so iconic.
The story
For nearly a decade, The Grand Tour was synonymous with big engines and adventures, and with a chemistry that felt like three friends taking over a show and somehow making it one of the most-loved motoring programs on the planet. It was a 2016 post-Top Gear project that became a global phenomenon for combining outrageous challenges with genuine insight and humor.
Clarkson, Hammond, and May were the personality engine and heart of the series. Their rapport made ordinary road trips feel like cultural moments, and they made The Grand Tour an appointment show for car fans around the world. When they bowed out after the One for the Road special in 2024, it felt like the end of an era.
But, two years after the departure of Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May, Prime Video officially announced the new presenters on February 5, 2026.
Unlike the polished TV veterans who built The Grand Tour into a worldwide hit, this next chapter leans into internet culture and new-media fame. The six-episode 2026 series will send the fresh faces across continents from the deserts of Angola to Malaysia’s automotive culture, then on to California’s performance car playground in classic Grand Tour style.
Clarkson himself was involved in the reveal, on social media, comedically “hand-selecting” his successors.
In the clip, Clarkson playfully scrolls through a stack of mock applications for the new presenting job, treating it like a serious recruitment process but with his signature sarcasm. He discards some candidates, joking about one for having too much facial hair and another for being James May, before landing on the eventual trio. As he flips through, he introduces Thomas Holland, James Engelsman, and Francis Bourgeois with funny remarks.
Meet the new hosts
First, there’s Francis Bourgeois, A social media star best known for his infectious enthusiasm and viral trainspotting videos on platforms like TikTok and Instagram. Beneath his quirky obsession with locomotives, Bourgeois is also a trained mechanical engineer who once worked at Rolls-Royce, a detail that gives him more automotive credibility than some critics initially assumed.
Next, we have Thomas Holland and James Engelsman, the dynamic duo behind the YouTube channel Throttle House, which has built a passionate following through high-production car reviews and a genuine passion for everything on four wheels. Holland is a Canadian automotive journalist and amateur racer, while Engelsman brings a deep enthusiast perspective, having famously owned unique cars such as a Toyota Century originally made for Japanese royalty.
Together, they blend car culture credentials and internet charisma, which is a stark contrast to the established TV personalities who preceded them. Whether that mix will translate to global TV success remains to be seen.
Can the new hosts fill the gap?
Online fans are curious but cautious, and their message is clear: “They need to do their own thing.” Reflecting on the fact that many people were watching the show because of the hosts and their characters, and their cars were just an add-on.
There’s precedent here. When the BBC rebooted Top Gear with fresh hosts after Clarkson’s exit in 2015, the show sputtered. Ratings dipped, and loyal viewers drifted away until the format and personalities found a footing again years later. Viewers wonder similar things about The Grand Tour. They have questions not only about the hosts but also about the beloved format that was synonymous with them.
Critics fear a similar curve here. Motoring shows are also about voices and friendship, the unscripted moments that make you laugh or gasp. Supporters in comment threads argue that Holland and Engelsman have already perfected their on-camera chemistry, and that Bourgeois brings unexpected charm and passion.
But others counter that even the best YouTube personalities might struggle with the scale and expectation that Grand Tour carries. Fans are saying they’re willing to give the reboot a chance, but few think it’ll match the old magic right away.
Whether this new trio becomes the next big automotive personalities or just a footnote in Grand Tour history, one thing’s for sure: this reboot is one of the boldest moves in motoring TV in years. It’s a gamble that could either pay off big or remind us all why legends are hard to replace.
