GUESS WHO’S BACK AND ON A SCANDI TOUR?
What made you decide to get back to car testing for this special?
May: We were aware that we hadn’t done a serious car special for a while, but also, we quite like it. When we’re doing something with three cars that are interesting and that we love, it makes it a little bit more comfortable for us because we know that we’ve got plenty to say about them and we have some idea of what we’re talking about. There’s a balance to be struck between doing stuff that’s hardcore car nerd, but you mix that with enough historical, social, scenic, mucking about stuff to satisfy the viewers who aren’t actually big car enthusiasts. A lot of our viewers are watching it as a sitcom rather than as a car show.
What are moments make getting back together a worthwhile experience?
Hammond: There’s two moments I always know are going to happen. One is at the beginning when the director shouts “action”, and at that moment it’s as though James, Jeremy and me step into our own world that’s always been there; it’s like we never left it, where we react and do stuff together. I love that moment where you think: “Oh. Here we are. That’s where we’ve been all this time since the last one.” And I love the moment that always comes later, when the car does something amazing or impressive and you think: “That’s incredible ”– it’s gone beyond whatever was asked of it.
What better way to signal a return to normal than to let loose the world’s most infamous trio of laddish car enthusiasts on the icily inhospitable environs of the Arctic Circle? Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond return for a new special in which they ostensibly put three rally cars through their paces, but actually just end up having a typically boyish bucket of fun at Amazon Prime and each others’ expense. Tymon Smith spoke to May, Hammond and executive producer Andy Wilman about what they’ve done this time.
Do you ever feel as if you’ve done everything and been everywhere you could possibly go with a car?
Wilman: It feels like a new lease of life because of Covid. We had the two years when we were scratching our bums at home or filming locally and then we go: “Right the world is open, let’s get out there.” It’s been a real energiser. There are still places to go. The world is, ironically, getting smaller. There are countries like Myanmar, Iraq and Syria where we’ve been and are much loved, but that we can’t go to again.
How do you rate this special in comparison to ones you’ve done before?
May: It wasn’t the most pleasurable one because I was stiff. I’d broken a rib, but I think in terms of the content it provided and the story it generated ... this is one of the best we’ve done in ages. It’s “content rich”, as they say in the world of TV.
Do you think you’ll keep getting back together for new adventures?
Hammond: I’m aware that I’m never going to do anything else on this scale. I’ve been broadcasting in radio and TV for 34 years, but this is the biggest thing I’ve been involved in, the biggest success and the most fun, so I wouldn’t end it. I’ll keep doing it for as long as they let me.