The Grand Tour
What does the future look like?
What does the future look like?
5th February 2026
Today, as I was checking my social feeds, I noticed a post from The Grand Tour account. First, there was a post with the caption “Jeremy has a message,” which showed him going through applications to host the show. With a couple of references to his former colleagues while reading through the list of applications, he then stamped “Approved” on the new trio—seemingly giving his official stamp of approval.
The three new presenters are James Engelsman and Thomas Holland—who you may know from the YouTube channel Throttle House—and Francis Bourgeois, who is a qualified mechanical engineer and a viral TikTok personality.
I personally have not seen much of Francis’s work, but I am familiar with James and Thomas from Throttle House, having watched a few of their videos. My favourite is the one where they show that the FK8 Civic Type R is faster than the FL5 Civic Type R. I’ll put that video below so that you can give it a watch and get a feel for the chemistry between the two.
The Grand Tour clearly has a tough road ahead trying to win over current fans of the show, as well as new ones. Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May are three people who, when they got together, were able to create a hilarious and gripping journey—keeping the audience engaged and wanting more.
When the last episode of The Grand Tour aired featuring the original trio, it was sad to think that I would never get to watch a new adventure with them again. Of course, I can go back through the previous series, and even go back onto iPlayer to watch Top Gear when they hosted the show, but to know no more new episodes were coming was a disappointing feeling.
There are many people who won’t watch the new series because of the different presenters. I can understand where they are coming from; it took Top Gear a good few cycles to get anywhere near the fun factor the show had previously. Towards the end of Top Gear, however, when Freddie, Paddy, and Chris were hosting, I did enjoy watching it again.
I will be giving the new series a go and look forward to the first episode. Having enjoyed the content on Throttle House, and being intrigued by the “unknown” of Francis Bourgeois, I am excited to see where they take the show and how the chemistry develops.