James May discusses future of The Grand Tour as he promises two specials in 2021: “Russia isn’t cancelled"
James May says Russia is still on the cards for The Grand Tour.
When A Massive Hunt drops on Amazon Prime Video on 18th December fans will have had to wait more than a year between episodes of The Grand Tour.
The first special, Seaman, launched last year on December 13th, and the next episode was expected to follow shortly after.
However, production came to a halt earlier this year when the coronavirus hit.
With the Madagascan special set to air in just a few weeks, James May tells fans they have nothing to worry about when it comes to 2021, because they'll be getting not one but two specials of the motoring series.
"We’ve already filmed one for next year which is our recent Scotland adventure, so I would hope we could do another one next year but it’s slightly out of our control. It depends what happens with all the COVID stuff. But I’m confident we'll be able to film another one, so two will come out in 2021!" he explained to press, including RadioTimes.com.
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The trio, Jeremy Clarkson, Richard and Hammond and May, had been in talks to take the show to Russia for another hour-long special, however, due to the coronavirus restrictions it was put on hold.
With the nation currently in a lockdown, which is set to be eased on December 2nd, will Russia once again become an option for the Amazon Prime Video series?
While May doesn't know exactly when Russia will happening he insists that it definitely isn't cancelled.
"The Russia plan is simply postponed until we don’t know when, but we haven’t cancelled it. We’re just having to put it in the cupboard at the moment but we will get it out one day and finish it off," he said.
Addressing travel restrictions, he continued: "It’s a bit risky to spend a lot of money on a shoot because by the time we get round to go which is usually seven months later, the whole picture of COVID and restrictions all could have changed and we might not get to make it."
Although changes might have to be made going forward, May said: "The Grand Tour will always be the Grand Tour, it may be a little more nested. But it will still be us three and cars!"
He added: "I think once the Russian trip was put on hold we realised it was a bigger problem than we thought. But it doesn’t stop you making great television. The process of being forced to rethink it in some ways is really healthy because otherwise you would get complacent or set in your ways. So, it’s making us use our imagination. It’s obviously not good news for the world because we’ve got a pandemic, but for The Grand Tour it’s definitely not going to stop us. If anything it might even improve us – imagine that!"
We're totally here for it, James!
The Grand Tour presents: A Massive Hunt will launch on Amazon Prime Video on December 18th. If you’re looking for more to watch, check out our TV Guide.
