London - Former BBC Top gear host Jeremy Clarkson's new car show will be called “The Grand Tour” because it will be recorded in a big tent pitched in different countries for each episode, maker Amazon said on Wednesday.
The series, which launches in the autumn, reunites Clarkson with his co-presenters and producer from Top Gear, the show that propelled the journalist to global fame before he lost his job after he punched a member of the production team.
Clarkson, along with Richard Hammond and James May, signed an exclusive deal to make a show for the online retailer's subscription service Amazon Prime last July.
“Thing is we'll be travelling the world hosting each episode in a different country, from a giant tent,” Clarkson said in a statement. “It's a sort of 'grand tour', if you like. So we've decided to call it 'The Grand Tour'.”
Amazon said its customers around the world would have the chance to be in the audience when tickets are released through prize draws in the summer.
The BBC is relaunching “Top Gear” with a new team led by DJ and broadcaster Chris Evans and U.S. actor Matt LeBlanc, with the first show expected to air at the end of the month.
Reuters
Start the smoke. We have a name.
— Jeremy Clarkson (@JeremyClarkson) May 11, 2016
So, the Grand Tour (GT for short) will come from a tent, which we will put up in a different location every week. Your town?
— Jeremy Clarkson (@JeremyClarkson) May 11, 2016
We have 12 shows. One is a Christmas thing. That means 11 locations for our tent. Many requests from Mexico.
— Jeremy Clarkson (@JeremyClarkson) May 11, 2016
Hammond and May also butted into the conversation:
Many, many suggestions for where we can bring The Grand Tour tent. But you do have to make a case for it. #GT
— Richard Hammond (@RichardHammond) May 11, 2016
I'm sorry if your name wasn't used for our new show. But neither were any of mine. https://t.co/nIlrOaosXF
— James May (@MrJamesMay) May 11, 2016
I still think 'Nigel' was a better name. https://t.co/nIlrOaosXF
— James May (@MrJamesMay) May 11, 2016
And, of course, the fans had to get their chirps in too:
So that new Clarkson motoring programme is going to be called The Grand Bore then #TheGrandTour
— Charlotte Corday (@theartyassassin) May 11, 2016
So the boys have a name #TheGrandTour BUT that's not the end of their exciting news...watch this space #exclusive #hotseats
— Marius Roberts (@torquemarius) May 11, 2016
words cannot describe how excited I am for 'The Grand tour' now all they need to do is kidnap The Stig... #TheGrandTour
— Cameron Hill (@cameronhill97) May 11, 2016
RT @PedalLoud: @JeremyClarkson #thegrandtour the grand tour!!!?? Is that it? After all that. Sounds like a Dickensian adventure novel.
— PedalLoud (@PedalLoud) May 11, 2016'The Grand Tour' or GT for short. Regardless of the name, I'm just excited for August 2016! pic.twitter.com/l5YWFhlwmV
— Paul Wallace (@WallacePJW) May 11, 2016
"The Grand Tour" is a terrible name, @JeremyClarkson. Sorry, someone had to say it :-(
— IG:RobForbesDJ (@RobForbesDJ) May 11, 2016