Yesterday’s episode of The Grand Tour was the hotly anticipated Mozambique Special – ‘Feed the World’ – which saw Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May attempt to end world hunger with an incredible journey across the country.
If you’re a hardcore Grand Tour fan you’ve surely seen it by now, but here are a few more key facts about the episode which you may not have known:
1. Mozambique is one of only two UN countries to have weaponry on its flag.
It features an AK-47 assault rifle. (The other one is Guatemala, which has two muskets.)
2. Jeremy Clarkson is normally extremely specific about the cars he chooses for Grand Tour road trips.
In this case, however, he said he just wanted ‘a pick-up truck’ since he believes they’re basically all the same. What he ended up with is a Nissan Hardbody, so-called because it has a double-skinned pick-up bed which makes it particularly tough.
3. Richard Hammond’s motorbike for the Mozambique film is a TVS Star HLX 125.
It is made in India but designed for the tough conditions of Africa. It has a one-cylinder engine making 11 horsepower. Normally the vehicles for this kind of road trip are second hand, but this motorcycle was brand new and bought from a supermarket for £800.
4. When the brief for this film was decided, James May had only one car in mind.
A 1980s Mercedes of the kind often seen as the backbone of Africa. His particular example is the sought-after estate version with a 2-litre, 107 horsepower engine and can do 0-60 in around 13.6 seconds, though obviously not with a massive water tank in the back.
5. In order to film the fishing sequence, many of The Grand Tour crew had to spend the entire day standing up to their waists in the sea.
6. Richard Hammond estimates that he fell off his motorcycle around 30 times.
Jeremy estimates that each was one of the funniest things he’s ever seen.
7. When Jeremy modified James’s car for the final push to the finish, James was genuinely quite annoyed.
Which was a problem as this is the angriest state that James May can achieve.
What was your favourite moment from the episode? Let us know in the comments below.
8 comments
Basically a bunch of rich people laughing at the poor. Pretty dire.
Dreadful episode. Not only did they make light of poverty but they mistreated living fish and inhumainly killed them.
How about a helicopter load of fish? Please tell me there was a happy ending.
This episode was as entertaining as a dead fish
Agree with Peter, it was a pointless waste, and showed no real engagement with anyone locally, it just wasted a load of food and seemed quite disrespectful throughout.
Those poor fish getting turned into soup too for the sake of a few cheap laughs.
A mindless dickish episode.
Sorry to sound negative but is world poverty and hunger something to make humour out of?
Yes. If you cannot laugh at face of enemy – the evil has won. We make fun of nazis, so we should make fun of poverty and hunger.
Right, so no fish for the poor? it’s better if we kill the fish for entertainment.. got ya.