The Grand Tour’s new hosts meet Jenson Button in trailer for new series
By Sean O'Grady, Press Association Deputy Entertainment Editor
James Engelsman, Thomas Holland and Francis Bourgeois are seen meeting former Formula One star Jenson Button and testing out muscle cars in the trailer for the new series of The Grand Tour.
The trio have taken the reins of the Amazon Prime Video series after Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May left the show following the previous series.
The trailer begins with Bourgeois, whose real name is Luke Nicholson, saying to his co-stars “Welcome to our first grand tour” before they are seen speeding around a race track.
They are also seen on a boat trip as Engelsman is lowered face-first into a dinghy.
During the series, the trio visit California to test out the latest US muscle cars: the Ford Mustang GTD, the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1, and the €2.3 million Hennessey Venom F5 Revolution Evolution.
They also head to Malaysia to delve into the nation’s car culture before journeying through the desert of Angola in track cars unsuited for the job.
Bourgeois rose to fame in 2021 for his “trainspotting” reaction videos on TikTok, featuring him wearing a head-mounted camera to capture the footage.
He studied mechanical engineering at university and secured a four-year internship with Rolls-Royce.
Engelsman, who is from Canada, is best known for co-presenting YouTube channel Throttle House.
Fellow Canadian Holland is a motoring journalist who is the founder and co-presenter of Throttle House.
Clarkson, Hammond and May will make guest appearances during the upcoming season.
May previously told The Standard that the trio left the show after they had “exhausted” the subject.
He said: “We always said, between us, that we would end it with some race, hopefully, rather than fly into the White Cliffs of Dover, desperately trying to keep it along – and I think we just about managed that.
“We’d exhausted the subject, we are getting on a bit. I believe it’s time for a new generation to find a new take – I don’t know what it is.”
The new series of The Grand Tour launches on Prime Video on September 4.
