The secrets behind the Grand Tour’s beginnings are revealed by the fifth Beatle (or fourth in this case) of the Grand Tour.
Andy Wilman, Grand Tour producer, has shared the story of how the Amazon Prime hit show, the Grand Tour, came about after he and Richard Hammond, Jeremy Clarkson, and James May quit the BBC.
In 2015, all four of them left British broadcaster to start their own production company, W. Chump & Sons. This produces the Grand Tour for Amazon Prime and is also behind automotive media platform Drivetribe.
Wilman spoke out about the team’s move from traditional media to Amazon’s streaming service on-demand. He said that it was necessary to preserve the editorial freedom enjoyed at the BBC.
Wilman stated at the PandaConf Web Summit that “if we want to continue working together, we needed to be able to make our own shows.” We needed editorial freedom, because we had it. If you look at certain broadcasters, you will see that they have a tone and they will force you to make a show that suits their channel. Amazon and Netflix are platforms. They make the content, you put it out. We knew in our hearts that this was the place we had to be, but didn’t know how.
Although The Grand Tour is very similar to Top Gear, it was legally required to alter some elements. One of the parts was the studio. It was instead a tent that was used as a touring venue for the first series.
Wilman stated that Top Gear was no longer legal and that he wanted to continue Top Gear. However, he said that he could legally change the elements. “Jeremy had watched an episode of True Detective where there was a tent that held a religious meeting. He suggested that we do it. “Why don’t you get a tent, and then we’ll transport it around the globe?”
So we went to Amazon for our first meeting. We’re in the lift, and our lawyer said to Jeremy “don’t mention tent”. Because of the prohibitive costs involved in moving the show around the globe, it was not necessary to mention that. So we went in, and the guy asked if we had any ideas. Wilman added that Clarkson had filled the silence with his pitch for a left-field tent and that Amazon purchased it so it was done.
The Grand Tour did then tour the globe in its first series. It has been a worldwide success just like Top Gear was when Clarkson and Hammon were at the helm. But the quartet’s global appeal was never intended.
Wilman stated that “We were fortunate in the fact that we didn’t set out to create a huge global show. We just wanted to make an even better show than what was already there.” “If you have someone like Simon Cowell, [Mark] Burnett or any other celebrity, they will sit down, and will create The X Factor and The Apprentice. They will also devise The Apprentice to be a world-beater. And they will have a strong format you can sell to other countries. We never did that. It was organic and many of the events that happened were happy accidents.
He said Top Gear’s enduring appeal was due to Jeremy. He was the one who came up with all of the lightbulb moments to revive the show.