“I’ve driven cars higher than anyone else and further north than anyone else. We’ve done everything you can do with a car.”

By James Hibbs

Published: Friday, 26 January 2024 at 11:03 AM

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It was first reported towards the end of last year that Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond had left their Prime Video show The Grand Tour, with just one episode left to air.

Now, Clarkson has explained his reasoning for leaving his role while speaking in an interview with The Times, saying that it is largely a matter of having already “done everything you can do with a car”.

He said: “I’ve driven cars higher than anyone else and further north than anyone else. We’ve done everything you can do with a car.

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“When we had meetings about what to do next, people just threw their arms in the air.”

He also added that the show is “immensely physical, and when you’re unfit and fat and old, which I am… Camping in Mauritania was a stretch.”

Clarkson also said that the global move towards electric vehicles factored into his decision making, suggesting that there’s “no glamour or excitement” in driving electric cars.

Read more:

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He said: “An electric car is no different from a chest freezer or a microwave oven. There’s no glamour or excitement. This week on Top Chest Freezer! I think it suits the written media more.”

May previously addressed the prospect of The Grand Tour trio reuniting in another project, telling BBC Radio 4‘s Today programme that he “wouldn’t rule it out”.

However, he added: “You do have to bear in mind that we’re all getting on a bit. I have been doing it for 20 years plus, and I don’t think any of us ever thought it would last that long.”