Jeremy Clarkson has called James May “senile” over his former co-host’s latest claims about The Grand Tour “reunion”.
Last month, it was confirmed that Amazon would be releasing four special episodes of the fan-favourite car show, which concluded in September 2024 with a one-off special that was thought to be bring the 22-year-long partnership between Clarkson, May, and Richard Hammond to an end.
The trio first worked together on BBC’s Top Gear in 2002 before moving to Amazon for the Prime Video series The Grand Tour.
The new episodes, titled The Not Very Grand Tour: The Power and the Glory, will be released on 18 April – and will reportedly be followed by three further specials titled The Grand-ish Tour, which are expected in 2025 and 2026.
Clarkson, however, will not be appearing in the forthcoming retrospective – if May is to be believed, at least.
Speaking to Al Arabiya News, May, 62, said that Clarkson would be absent from the special, stating: “Well, I’m afraid it’s not a reunion. The Not Very Grand Tour is essentially a best-of compilation hosted from the studio by me and Richard Hammond.
“Jeremy Clarkson wasn’t available for some reason, but we’re all in the clips. It’s all things you’ve seen before, but chopped up in a different way.”
On why his co-star would be missing from the episodes, May said: “We recorded it a while back. I can’t remember why he couldn’t be there. He was probably busy.”
Clarkson, 64, has since refuted May’s claims, writing on X/Twitter on Saturday (5 April): “I fear the poor old dear has become senile. Because while he can’t remember me being there, I can.”
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The Independent has contacted May’s representatives for comment.
Fans, however, will be disappointed to learn that there will be no typical Grand Tour seasons to follow.
Clarkson said: “To be clear, there are some ‘best ofs’ coming. Zimbabwe was the last one. I have far too many cows now to go swanning off.”
Released in September 2024, One for the Road saw the trio embark on their final ever adventure as they travelled across Zimbabwe in the cars they had always wanted to own.
Last year, it was reported that Clarkson, Hammond and May had dissolved their production company, declaring solvency and appointing a liquidator to “wind up” their business.
