Jeremy Clarkson Admits 'The Grand Tour' Had A Few Early Problems Behind The Scenes

While it was well-documented that the journey leading up to Chris Evans’ series at the helm of ‘Top Gear’ was a rocky one, Jeremy Clarkson has admitted that it wasn’t exactly smooth sailing putting together his new show ‘The Grand Tour’, either.

The controversial TV personality is currently gearing up (we know, we’re sorry) to unveil his new TV project on Amazon Prime, alongside his former ‘Top Gear’ co-presenters Richard Hammond and James May.

With the first episode now just weeks away from making its debut, Jeremy has admitted that there were rather a few obstacles to overcome behind the scenes.

The newspapers had got it into their heads that, because we had £400m an episode, we’d be reporting each week from a different planet.In his latest column in the Sunday Times, Jeremy begins by admitting that location was the first issue, admitting that while he’d hoped to front the show from a former RAF airfield, as he did with ‘Top Gear’, “we couldn’t host the show from a static location because, although it had been our idea, the BBC owned it”.

He goes on to cite “budget” (“contrary to what you may have read in various hysterical reports - [it] was not much bigger than it had been at the BBC”), airport customs (“[they] decided to impound just one of our containers: the one containing the tent’s feet… it renders the whole operation pointless”) and even, yes, nerves as problems he faced during production.

In an uncharacteristcally earnest moment, he writes: “The newspapers had got it into their heads that, because we had £400m an episode, we’d be reporting each week from a different planet.

“Would everyone be disappointed to find the films had all been shot on Earth? And that they were still full of three middle-aged men falling over? With the occasional car sticking its nose into the frame?”

However, he jokingly concludes: “Our biggest worry, however, was the make-up girl...

“She’d heard that 4K was extremely high-definition television that shows up every wrinkle and spot, and had decided that the best solution to the problem was to encase our faces in a plastered box.

“Speech was impossible because we couldn’t move our mouths. James had breathing difficulties. I couldn’t get my head off the floor because it weighed so much.”

The first episode of ‘The Grand Tour’ will begin streaming on Amazon Prime on Friday, 18 November.

Meanwhile, recent reports have suggested that Matt LeBlanc’s first series at the helm of ‘Top Gear’ hasn’t quite been a walk in the park either...