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Richard Hammond has opened up on his 22-year collaboration with James May and Jeremy Clarkson as the trio prepare to bid farewell to The Grand Tour for good.
For one last time, the iconic threesome will be heading on a road trip through Botswana and Zimbabwe for their last special titled One for the Road. They filmed the episode last year in Africa after deciding it was time to bring their working relationship to a close following successful years on the BBC and Amazon Prime Video.
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Hammond has admitted he ended up in tears once the cameras stopped rolling on the finale while Clarkson has revealed May had quite a contrasting reaction.
Nevertheless, fans of Clarkson, May, and Hammond will undoubtedly be left emotional when the special is released on September 13 but it sounds like all three won't be short of projects to keep them busy with after it airs.
Reflecting on being able to pursue goals and projects without his usual sidekicks, Hammond confessed he was relishing the thought - but was keen not to come across "ungrateful".
The Grand Tour: Richard Hammond, Jeremy Clarkson and James May return in the final special
AMAZON
"I don’t want to sound ungrateful for the incredible privileges I’ve had making the show but yeah, to go and do things like that on my own will mean so much more to me than it would otherwise have done," he said ahead of One for the Road's release.
Once such "thing" is a road trip he's planned to France, which he's already invited May to accompany him on.
"I’ve packed a little tool kit to go in the car, but if it breaks down, I'll be on the phone to Neil back at my workshop, saying, 'Mate, help!' It’s going to be fun," Hammond remarked.
But the exciting ventures don't stop there as he continued: "I’m also going out to the Himalayas a week later with my brother, riding dirt bikes along the highest pass in the world which is kind of like what we did on the Grand Tour, but this is doing it without cameras."
Despite his excitement at going solo, Hammond was still full of kind words for Clarkson and May and their time working together over the past two decades.
"I'll be really honest, and they’ll mock me for this, but I'll miss them terribly," Hammond added. "We’ve worked together for 20 years.
"We’ve worked hard, and we have to egg each other on, and it’s never just loafing about. So, it'd be difficult to recreate that situation.
"If I go over and visit Jeremy at his farm, it would be to go over and relax. That's not the same as having to get up at five in the morning and drive for eight hours through the jungle.
"I’ll miss it so much, so much, which is why I’m trying to have some little adventures on my own. I've got my classic car workshop, which is slowly ruining me, but I'm going to take time to make that work, and I'll still be playing, but I’ll be out there on a bike or in a car on my own.
"I want to go to Morocco as well, and Mongolia. I still want a roof tent that the others can’t rip off, so I’d like to do a massive trip in my Land Rover."
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The Grand Tour: Richard Hammond, Jeremy Clarkson and James May filmed the special in Zimbabwe
AMAZON
While Hammond has several exciting trips on the horizon, Clarkson will undoubtedly be busy dedicating his time to his newly-opened pub.
Clarkson opened the doors to The Farmer's Dog in Asthall, Oxfordshire last month and it's believed it will provide the backdrop for much of the fourth season of Clarkson's Farm.
Meanwhile, May - who also has a pub of his own - will be kept busy after he launched his own gin brand last year.
The trio's final special premieres on Amazon Prime Video on Friday, September 13.
