The Grand Tour confirms highly anticipated return date with HUGE social media stars taking over from Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May

The Grand Tour has confirmed its highly anticipated return date, with social media stars taking over from Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May.

The motoring series, which airs on Amazon’s Prime Video, has seen a change of presenters after its original stars left the show, with Jeremy, 66, admitting they had run out of ideas and had become ‘inappropriate, fat and old’.

In February, it was revealed that the popular series would be hosted by new faces YouTuber Thomas Holland and James Engelsman and TikTok phenomenon Francis Bourgeois.

And now Prime Video has confirmed that the six-episode series will return to the platform on September 4.

New co-host Francis said: ‘Since I wrapped filming the series I haven’t stopped replaying every moment in my head.

‘It made me laugh, it made my heart race and it made me sick… I remembered that the tent I shared with Thomas and James was filled with sulphurous farts while Angolan coyotes were outside snooping around.

The motoring series, which airs on Amazon’s Prime Video, has seen a change of presenters after its original stars left the show, with Jeremy, 66, admitting they had run out of ideas and had become ‘inappropriate, fat and old’.

Now Prime Video has confirmed that the six-episode series will return to the platform on September 4

‘It feels like a dream, but knowing we’ll be sharing our adventures soon makes me incredibly excited.’

Meanwhile, James revealed some of the tough challenges they took part in.

He shared: ‘We took over the West African Desert. We competed with fighter pilots. We even decided to challenge the legal system of an entire country by protesting from the top of the mountains.

‘In doing this, the three of us learned our true strength: how to accept defeat with grace.’

YouTuber Thomas insisted that they filmed most of the scenes on their own.

He added: ‘I thought someone would always be there to hold our hand. No.

‘We were on our own in some crazy environments, in some very, very controversial cars. What did we learn from this experience?

‘We just have very poor decision-making skills. You can expect a good laugh when you watch it in September. And maybe a few ass squeezes…’

The trio will tackle the motoring world’s most pressing and delightfully absurd questions across some of the world’s toughest terrain.

From crossing the Angolan desert in track cars to exploring Malaysia’s vibrant car culture and then heading to California to test cutting-edge performance cars.

Oil heads Thomas and James host their own YouTube show, Throttle House, where they test drive and review cars, which has an impressive 3.2 million+ subscribers.

Francis, whose real name is Luke Magnus Nicolson, is known for his passion for train spotting, with more than 6 million followers on his social media accounts.

He counts the Prince and Princess of Wales and Stormzy among his fans.

Canadian biology graduate Thomas first started his YouTube channel in 2015 out of ‘boredom’ and was joined by fan James three years later.

Francis, meanwhile, has risen to social media superstardom since his first TikTok clip in February 2021.

Francis, who rose to fame thanks to his eccentric and cute trainspotting videos, later interviewed stars such as Louis Theroux, Craig David, Sheridan Smith and Tom Daley.

Speaking about his hobby in a previous interview with This Morning, he said: ‘I was obsessed with these big machines. ‘Since then I’ve had a passion for trains, cars and planes.’

In 2023, Francis was joined by his most royal fans, the Prince and Princess of Wales, rubbing shoulders with internet royalty during a hilarious video.

Jeremy, Richard and James pulled out of The Grand Tour in September last year [pictured on the show in 2022]

Francis has millions of followers on Instagram, with more than 3.3 million fans on his TikTok account, while 2.4 million fans (image: Francis at BRITs in 2023)

Jeremy, Richard and James withdraw from The Grand Tour in September 2024.

The original series followed the trio on a mission around the world to meet different car manufacturers and has been on air since 2016, following their departure from Top Gear two years ago.

Their exit marked the end of an emotional chapter for the trio, who began working together on Top Gear more than two decades ago.

The trio has since appeared on Amazon Prime Video’s The Not Very Grand Tour, which premiered earlier this year on April 18.

Jeremy returned to the world of motoring TV after filming an episode of Car SOS.

Jeremy’s appearance at the auto show comes just months after the last episode of The Grand Tour aired in September.

Meanwhile, Richard and James recalled their time on Top Gear as they made a ‘traumatic’ visit to their old studio ten years after their last show.

In a video posted on James May’s YouTube series Planet Gin, the pair decided to revisit the office for ‘unknown reasons’.

Petrolheads Thomas (pictured) and James host their own YouTube show, Throttle House, where they test drive and review cars, which has an impressive 3.2 million+ subscribers.

James (pictured) joined Thomas’ YouTube channel after reaching out as a fan

James began: ‘This is the old Top Gear studio and this is the old Top Gear green room.’

They walked around the complex, pushed open the door of one of the abandoned trailers, and reminisced about their days on set.

Richard said: ‘It smells the same, awful. It’s weird how it seems like it was just yesterday, but it also seems like it was 100 years ago.

‘This is where we come together, work on scripts and discuss. I feel funny. I feel funny too. I felt really weird being here. ‘We’d come here every week for years and years and years.’

James said: ‘The smell is almost traumatizing… Do you think if I opened this door we’d go through a portal and go back to the year 2000?

‘I want to find something we left here.’

Richard joked: ‘What’s it like? Hope, ambition, power? The last time I was here, I was leaving after the last studio recording.

‘I was in the bronze Land Rover. I sat up and thought, that’s it.’