It’s hard to take The Grand Tour seriously. And that’s a great thing.
With a legacy that extends back to the grand-daddy of all television car series, Top Gear, it doesn’t oversell it to suggest that The Grand Tour is one of the most celebrated automotive shows in television history. Now, with its revival on Prime Video, The Grand Tour revs up again with new hosts and a new sense of joy.
It’s always hard to revive a series that’s built on the personalities of its stars. What would Survivor be without Jeff Probst? What happened to The Office without Steve Carell? To be fair, it has been done. Wheel of Fortune managed to do replace Pat Sajak and The Tonight Show has had multiple hosts but it’s a difficult feat. When an audience connects with certain people, the transition can be jarring.
But, maybe, enough time has passed that that won’t be an issue here. After all, Tour’s revival feels like a different series. Led by Thomas Holland, James Engelsman and Francis Bourgeois, this Tour is sparked with boyish glee. Having stepped out of the realm of YouTube, Holland and Engelsman know how to handle themselves with authenticity in front of the camera. And, frankly, Bourgeois is a shotgun blast of enthusiasm. In essence, all three have the ability to host without feeling like hosts.
Project Clover
They just seem like men who love to play. And we get to play along with them.
And those YouTube sensibilities seem to crossover into this iteration of the series. Episodes feel like a game where the three men get to test the limits of modern vehicles with gleefulness. Whether they’re testing to determine the world’s strongest car or battling public transit, the trio treat their vehicles as though they really are toys. And it’s infectious to watch. The first episode alone shows them racing their sports cars… against fighter jets. (They even get positively giddy about getting their own callsigns from the pilots.)
I don’t care who you are. That’s fun television.
Their passion also becomes a gateway for the viewer, even if they’re not automotive experts. Personally, I know nothing about cars. I’m an arts guy who drives a Corolla. Yet I even I was taken in by their knowledge and joyfulness. You just simply can’t help appreciating them and their bromantic relationship with one another.
They love each other. They love cars. And we love them for it.
Yes, there are (a few) conversations surrounding issues about the value of electric vehicles but that’s really not what this series about. This is meant to be an adrenaline-fused expression of all things automotive. And it works. Holland, Engelsman and Bourgeois are so endearing that it’s impossible to not want to hop in the car with them for more adventures in the future.
All episodes of The Grand Tour are available on Prime Video on Friday, September 4th, 2026.
