Clarkson’s big Grand Tour split leaves behind a legacy of bigotry and stunted manhood

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Everything enjoyable eventually ends, and often the unpleasant things do as well. When it was revealed this year that former Top Gear hosts Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May were splitting up after 22 years together, it wasn't exactly an explosive farewell. Maybe more akin to a sputtering engine at best. Rather, this moment felt like a letdown – the Top Gear phenomenon slowly grinding to a stop after draining the last drops of high-octane fuel.

In summary, W Chump & Sons, the production company run by Clarkson, Hammond, and May, has shut down. The Grand Tour, the Prime Video series known for its car-related travel and lighthearted male banter and that served as a sort of continuation of Top Gear, aired its final episode on September 13. This concluding special, where the trio journeys to Zimbabwe, was characterized by The Independent’s reviewer Nick Hilton as “a true ending to a chapter.” Clarkson has stated that the show is wrapping up because "I'm too old and overweight to fit into the cars I enjoy and have no desire to drive those I don't." However, it’s likely that there are additional factors contributing to this conclusion, and it doesn’t take much reasoning to guess what they might be. For twenty years, the three hosts have been presenting the same outdated and uninspired content, accompanied by a string of controversies. While the show was popular and profitable for many years—something that overlooked these issues—things seem to have changed now.

At its peak, Top Gear was one of the BBC's greatest triumphs. Between 2003 and 2015, Clarkson, Hammond, and May became some of the most well-known and beloved presenters on British TV. The show's enormous audience certainly helped it survive a series of scandals, which included offensive jokes about various marginalized groups and troubling comments related to violence against sex workers. It wasn't until Clarkson attacked a producer that he was removed from his role as host, prompting Hammond and May to leave alongside him. This event led to the creation of The Grand Tour.

Top Gear was aired on BBC with a series of different hosts until it was ultimately discontinued after a serious car accident involving presenter Freddie Flintoff. When the BBC announced the break, there wasn't much backlash, which shows how significantly audience interest had faded. Meanwhile, The Grand Tour on Prime Video has also flown under the radar. While Amazon doesn't disclose viewer statistics, a Reuters report from 2018 mentioned that it was the platform's top show for attracting new subscribers. However, it is costly to produce, and until its cancellation was announced, it rarely made headlines or received media attention. In comparison to Clarkson's other popular Prime Video project, the lively farming reality show Clarkson’s Farm, it feels almost nonexistent. In some respects, this might be an improvement over the old Top Gear – The Grand Tour has seen fewer controversies in the context of its hosts' careers. However, the lack of public reaction has left a quiet void, highlighting that shock value and controversy may have been the main appeal for the trio.

It might also be a case of differing outcomes for the three of them. Clarkson, the outspoken and often controversial leader of the trio, has always found considerable individual success as a television host and provocative columnist. Recently, however, with his shift towards farming and his role in *Clarkson's Farm*, he has turned that popularity into a broader wave of public support. For the first time in his career, he has managed to win over a fair number of his critics from various political backgrounds. Notably, Hammond and May have played no part in this newfound acclaim. It’s almost as if the three of them agreed to open up their dynamic, but Clarkson ended up becoming too invested in this new direction, leading him to question if the whole idea of being part of a polyamorous arrangement is really as great as it sounds.

Hammond and May have struggled to achieve the same level of success as Clarkson in their solo projects—it's like Simon without Garfunkel. Nonetheless, both have maintained steady careers. May is perhaps most recognized for his documentary series focused on toys (James May’s Top Toys; James May’s Toy Stories) and currently presents cooking and travel shows for Prime Video. Hammond has hosted programs like Brainiac and Total Wipeout. While they will likely continue to do well, it seems unlikely they will ever regain the prominence they had while overshadowed by Clarkson. Let’s be clear, their choice to join him at Prime Video was likely driven as much by personal gain as it was by loyalty.

It might be premature to call this a success for Clarkson. Back in December 2022, the host put his career at risk with a vulgar article aimed at the Duchess of Sussex. There were rumors that Amazon was considering canceling The Grand Tour as a result, and that Clarkson's Farm would end after the initially confirmed four seasons. (Filming for the fourth season is currently underway, and it will showcase Clarkson's attempts to run his own rural pub.) However, these claims have been challenged, including by Clarkson himself. The popularity of the third season of Clarkson's Farm, which has become the top-performing UK original for the streaming service, indicates that more seasons could very well be on the horizon.

The split of the former Top Gear trio marks the conclusion of a significant chapter, but it's not something to be saddened about. Their collaboration has left a mark of prejudice and limited masculinity. When the best thing that can be said about a television legacy that took twenty years to build is that they had "great banter," it reflects a lack of true ambition. If you don't strive to improve the medium, it won’t be long before the medium progresses on its own and leaves you behind.