Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May finally return to our screens this Friday, November 18th, in their all-new Amazon series, The Grand Tour.
Trailers suggest fans will find the trio’s familiar mix of car stunts, gags and rivalry has survived the move from BBC Two’s Top Gear, with Clarkson recently comparing the differences between the two shows with those between Cottage Pie and Shepherd’s Pie.
Rather than a static location the gang have, as the name implies, taken their new show in the road. Episode one’s studio sequences were filmed in California with episodes 2, 3 and 4 set in Johannesburg and Whitby. The show will also visit Stuttgart, Loch Ness, Whitby, Lapland and Nashville before ending its year long journey in Dubai.
Here’s how to make sure you don’t miss out on the action:
The first thing you’re going to need is an Amazon Prime subscription – when the trio left the BBC they signed a reported £160m deal to make 36 episodes which will air exclusively on Amazon Prime Instant Video.
Although Amazon will sell the series to TV broadcasters in countries where it doesn’t offer video streaming, it’s made clear that where it does it’s not interested in selling second run (repeat) rights to traditional TV stations.
This means it’s highly unlikely that The Grand Tour will ever air on BT Sport, BBC Three or ITV after it debuts this Autumn.
So if you want to watch you’ll need that Amazon Prime subscription.
If you don’t fancy shelling out for the full annual membership, which includes things such as fast delivery of your online shopping, it is possible to buy a standalone monthly subscription to just the video service.
Once you have your subscription you’ll be able to watch on your tablet or smartphone by downloading the Amazon Prime Instant Video app or on your desktop or laptop.
Assuming you want to enjoy the show on a big screen you’ll need a smart TV, set top box or games console with access to Amazon Prime Instant Video app.
If your existing kit isn’t up to the task, the most wallet-friendly way to get access to Amazon Prime Instant Video is to probably buy one of Amazon’s own Fire TV Sticks or its Amazon Fire TV.
Take care – only the second of these supports 4K Ultra HD so if you want to watch Amazon’s content in the best picture quality, and assuming you have a 4K TV, you’ll need the slightly more expensive Fire TV.
Of course, Amazon does have other shows you can enjoy – one our favourites is The Man in the High Castle which was recently renewed for a very well deserved second series, as well as Fear The Walking Dead which arrives on the service a few months after it debuts on BT’s AMC channel.
