Andy Wilman, executive producer for The Grand Tour, has revealed that Jeremy Clarkson has been cleared to resume filming for Series 2 of the hit Amazon Prime motoring show.
Wilman joked that Clarkson, who was struck down with pneumonia in August and admitted to hospital, bribed his doctors to give him permission to continue work. “He’s actually filming today,” he said on Wednesday 13th September at the Royal Television Society bi-annual convention in Cambridge.
“He’s cleared to film from today; so some doctor somewhere has accepted the bribe and signed him off fit, so they’re all back doing a thing. We’re playing catch-up now with our filming schedule like crazy.”
Clarkson was hospitalised with pneumonia last month, and was warned by doctors to avoid international travel as he faced a lengthy 8 to 10 week recovery period. As a result, The Grand Tour’s production company Chump Productions put plans in place for a ‘mobile film studio’ to be erected near Clarkson’s home in Chipping Norton, on a site which will be held for up to 13 weeks.
Clarkson is the second Grand Tour host to be admitted to hospital this year, after Richard Hammond crashed a Rimac Concept One supercar back in June.
Wilman joked that publicity around Hammond’s crash was helpful to Amazon Prime and its boss Jeff Bezos. “I think Jeff Bezos did Richard’s brakes on that car – he knew how much public attention it would get.”
Wilman added that Amazon is keen to expand the show into other markets and suggested that the trio may film in India soon. “Amazon want us to get bigger in America, but they want us to get bigger in India too and they have asked us if we have any Indian films – hint hint.”
Wilman also said: “Series two [of The Grand Tour], if you close your eyes, will be like series one and series three, the same retarded things they get up to in different countries.”
1 comment
This is great news because it’s an opportunity for them to get it Wright this time in India after the last one got a bad press