James May, Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond (Picture: Amazon)

Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May have confirmed they’re ditching the studio car format seen in shows like The Grand Tour and Top Gear after 17 years.

The trio recently wrapped up filming on The Grand Tour’s third season, where it’s reported Clarkson told audiences it was ‘the end of an era’.

According to The Sun, Clarkson, Hammond and May will abandon the format to focus on ‘big-budget specials’, which will be shown over the next two years.

The trio will only be returning for TV specials in the future (Picture: Ellis O’Brien/PA Wire)

Speaking to the publication, he said: ‘It’s a really sad day. I will miss the banter with each other and with the audience.




‘But we’ve been doing that show for effectively 17 years – sitting around in studios watching cars race around the track.’

He added: ‘We all agreed that we’ve been doing it a long time and everything eventually runs its course. Besides, I’m 58 and I’m too fat to be climbing on to the stage.’

Clarkson, Hammond and May presented 22 series of Top Gear before jumping to Amazon in 2015 for the similar The Grand Tour, which came loaded with a huge budget.

It left questions hanging over whether this would mean the end for The Grand Tour, but Amazon and Clarkson have since clarified a fourth season is in the works dedicated entirely to ‘road trip specials’.

Taking to Twitter, Clarkson wrote: ‘Can we just be clear on this. The Grand Tour goes on. Amazon has commissioned another series of nothing but road trip specials.’

Can we just be clear on this. The Grand Tour goes on. Amazon has commissioned another series of nothing but road trip specials. — Jeremy Clarkson (@JeremyClarkson) December 14, 2018

Hammond previously spoke to Metro.co.uk about The Grand Tour’s third season, saying: ‘We have travelled to China, Mongolia, Detroit and so many other places.

‘We can all be a bit grumpy. We’ve been through a lot together and you cannot spend as much time together as we do without winding each other up.’

Richard Hammond was previously left on crutches after a horrifying crash (Picture: Amazon)

The trio’s exploits have been particularly dangerous to Hammond, who was involved in a dramatic car crash in both Top Gear and The Grand Tour – the latter broadcast in the show’s second season.

The Grand Tour season three is set to release in 2019.

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