Richard Hammond has had his say on the dynamic between him, Jeremy Clarkson and James May ahead of the release of the penultimate The Grand Tour special.
The trio head to Mauritania in Africa for their second-to-last episode before all three prepare to call time on their tenure working together on-screen.
All three have become the faces of motoring TV for over a decade but last year decided to call time on The Grand Tour, with Clarkson claiming that becoming "fat and old" led to the decision.
As to be expected, question marks over why the trio decided to end their working relationship arose as fans were keen to make sure all three remained the pals they see on-screen.
Clarkson has already addressed the trio's bond, insisting they wouldn't have lasted as long in the world of television if they didn't get along, while May has also had his say and remarked their success stems from a point of "mutual loathing".
Now, Hammond has shared his thoughts on the trio's ties and that while they may irk one another on their adventures, an underlying friendship remains.
The Grand Tour: May, Clarkson and Hammond have addressed their friendship ahead of the end of the series
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"I was just 30 when we started and I’m now 54, so we’ve been through a huge chunk of each other’s lives together," Hammond reflected.
He said: "We know each other very well, and it’s not founded on seeing one another in an office every day or in the pub at weekends.
"It’s seeing one another in incredible places, grappling with illness and injury."
Elsewhere in his interview with Radio Times, Hammond admitted it will "be hard to leave it behind" when they watch the final Grand Tour air.
Clarkson, Hammond and May: The Grand Tour trio head to Mauritania in the penultimate special
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"It’s been 23 years growing into something we never thought it would," he explained. "But it’d be a bit pre-emptive to host a wake for it now, because it’s still breathing."
Hammond's comments come just days after Clarkson shared his opinions on his co-hosts with Amazon ahead of The Grand Tour: Sand Job's release.
He told the streamer: "Listen, when we do these things, it is a laugh from start to finish. We know what we're doing and we do enjoy one another's company.
"Otherwise, we wouldn't have been doing it for 25 years. It was tremendous. It was a big laugh. The fact it’s the longest special we've ever made testifies to how good it is because there’s very little you’d want to throw away. It’s all exciting, good stuff."
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Richard Hammond: The Grand Tour star is leaving the show alongside May and Clarkson
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Both Clarkson and Hammond's remarks are slightly different to May's, however, when he was recently asked about the trio's success.
"One of the reasons the show works is because we are creatively fueled by a mutual loathing," he told The Times.
May added: "TV is difficult with three people. Other shows have tried to do things with three presenters and what they never grasp is that you have to choose three people who annoy each other.
"That’s the key to why our dynamic works."
Sand Job airs on Friday, February 16 while the trio's final Grand Tour special is set to air later this year.
