Top Gear star calls for new motoring show after popular series axed by BBC
I revealed in November that The Grand Tour was coming to an end after the final two episodes are screened later this year
HIS previous petrolhead shows may be in the scrapyard – but James May believes it’s the perfect time for a new car series.
The telly veteran is adamant there is still an audience out there ready for fresh motoring content, despite the BBC recently axing Top Gear and Prime Video putting the brakes on The Grand Tour.
But James says he and sidekicks Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond would not be the men for the job this time as they’re “too old”.
Speaking exclusively to me, James says: “If you wanted to make a serious, slightly more consumerish car show there’s never been a better time for it because it’s a very interesting topic.
“What is going to happen to the car, car ownership, attitudes to the car, how we use it, dispose of it, how we power it?
“It’s all interesting stuff, it’s the most interesting time in the car’s history since it was invented. So I can’t believe somewhere or other, a slightly more modern car show won’t emerge.
“But we can’t do it as we’re too old.”
I revealed in November that The Grand Tour was coming to an end after the final two episodes are screened later this year.
The news came after The Sun told how the BBC binned Top Gear following presenter Freddie Flintoff’s near-fatal crash in 2022.
But James’s legion of fans shouldn’t feel too downhearted, as his travel show will still be giving him plenty of airtime.
His latest series Our Man In India, is available today on Prime Video and will see James go the length of the country, embracing various traditions and events, including the Holi festival which sees him have his face covered with brightly coloured paint.
But the country’s cuisine made the biggest impact on him — so much so he needed to go on a diet upon his return to the UK.
He says: “The Indians are feeders.
“They fill up your bowls until you literally have to fight them off, so we actually found ourselves getting a little bit fat towards the end.
“We got some enormous biryanis. We became very enthusiastic about biryanis from all the different towns and cities we went to.
“But some of them are quite big. They don’t hold back and I had to cut back a bit when I got home.”
Sounds like my idea of a dream holiday.
Gorilla grabbed me…and I feared I was a goner
VIANET DJENGUET has revealed the very close call he had filming endangered gorillas for his new BBC documentary.
The cinematographer, who has worked on Sir David Attenborough’s Planet Earth III and Life In Colour series, is making his debut in front of the camera for Silverback.
Vianet spent three months living among a family of eastern lowland gorillas in the Congo jungle, as a team of conservationists bid to save the world’s largest primate from extinction.
But one angry alpha male managed to evade park rangers and attack Vianet.
He recalled: “At that very moment, I felt like that was my last day on earth.
“We had pushed and pushed with this gorilla to see what we could get out of him, but at the end of the day, we have to remember he’s a wild animal. So in one moment when we were close and filming him, he ran up to us and he grabbed my left foot as if to pull me down and drag me away.
“Luckily he let go, as if he just wanted to warn me that he could if he wanted to, and to get me to understand that he is the boss, that he decides when I could film, that I had to respect him even though he’s a gentle giant, he doesn’t want to harm anyone.
“I don’t think I said this on camera, but I nearly s**t myself
“I was trembling, I was sweating, shaking and my heart was beating.”
By gradually exposing the gorillas to humans in their natural environment, the team can continue to research and protect the species as well as bring in vital income to the local population through tourism.
Vianet adds: “I just try my best to do what’s right for conservation.”
Silverback airs on BBC Two at 9pm this Sunday.
Lee: Get me on’t Cobbles
LEE MACK has ticked off comedies, game shows, reality telly and even a role in Doctor Who.
But there’s still one lifelong ambition he’s yet to achieve – appearing on the cobbles in his fave soap.
The comic tells the Walking The Dog podcast: “When I started in showbiz, there were two things I wanted to do – be in Doctor Who, and a little part in Corrie.
“I’m not joking, I would like a small part in Coronation Street. I’ll just pop in, go up to the bar at The Rovers, they go ‘Are you new round here?’ and I go ‘Yeah, I just sacked the secretary and I’ll tell you something, she’s not coming back if she’s spreading rumours like that about me,’ and then I just go again.
“But I’m not willing to spend more than two or three days on set because I’ve got things to do. When I say ‘things to do’, I just like being at home.”
SUSANNA REID has admitted she quit booze as she often suffered from “hangxiety” – a hangover and anxiety combo – over what happened the night before.
The Good Morning Britain star, who still has the odd tipple, yesterday told ITV1 show Lorraine she’s “99.9 per cent alcohol free”.
Cooking Scotty’s new love
CELEB Cooking School offers stars a chance to pick up a new skill in the kitchen with Michelin star chef Giorgio Locatelli.
But for Geordie Shore’s Scotty T, it was just a reason for him to take a break from being a lothario.
Competing against the likes of Made In Chelsea’s Olivia Bentley and Towie’s James Argent in the show – which starts at 8pm on Monday on E4 – took up so much time he had to stop going out and chatting up women.
He said: “I signed up because I am diabolical at cooking, I thought I wanted to broaden my horizons a little bit, do something new. But it makes a big difference to going out and drinking and pulling girls.”
I doubt he’s still staying in to cook on his Friday nights.
iPlayer’s making millions
THE BBC celebrated a record 177million streams on its iPlayer service over Christmas and New Year.
EastEnders’ The Six storyline on Christmas Day was the No1 hit, with nearly three million plays, while the second series of crime drama Vigil got the next most views at 2.2million.
Completing the top five favourites of viewers over the festive fortnight were Rick Astley ringing in the New Year with Rylan, the return of Call The Midwife and Doctor Who’s Christmas special.
Other biggies included Death In Paradise, Mrs Brown’s Boys and children’s TV favourite Hey Duggee.
The iPlayer streaming count was up four million on the previous year.
THE animated series of Mr Bean has been renewed for a fourth series. Rowan Atkinson will return to produce and voice 11 new episodes to air on ITVX Kids next year.
This marks the 35th anniversary of the first live-action episode. Rowan said: “I’m looking forward to getting stuck into the new series very much.”