The Grand Tour Adventure

Sunday the 17th of July was finally upon us. This was the day we’d finally get our much-anticipated glance at The Grand Tour and unveil all its mysteries. Although the ticket said, to be there by 10:30, we were convinced we needed to be there early, so before 08:00 we set out for Lanseria Airport - the only tangible landmark offered towards our final destination. As we passed the airport, we noticed an understated black and white board with the letters “TGT”. For most this would not make any sense, but to us, it was as clear as beacon we were on the right path. At the Kromdraai exit, we turned left and started our long-winding travels into the open bush, passing two boards, which reminded us that we were on the right road. At the Cradle Boutique Hotel we turned in, however the gates would only open at 10, so we joined the growing number of cars in an open field. I noticed some open top game ranger trucks pulling into the hotel, and I knew in my gut this was not our final destination. The excitement grew even more.

Just before 10 o’clock the first interaction came from the “TGT” team and we were given a brief rundown of the arrival process. Through the gate, a quick patdown search; down the stairs; ticket verification; armbands and inside for a bottle of water before more instructions are given. Being early paid off, as we were through the gate with the first group and then some of the first audience members to get our armbands - numbers 21 and 22 to be precise. We were finally in… it was all about to start. Or at least, so we thought. Instead, we stood around for close to an hour while they filtered all the guests through the arrivals process.

When they finally broke silence, we were told we’d be escorted into the cradle where the shoot is to take place. I started to grin like a Cheshire cat, as I just love those open top game ranger trucks. They led us away in groups of around 20 and as I approached one of the trucks, I was giddy with excitement, only to be lead straight passed it, to a true Johannesburg-style taxi. Yes, a taxi! A white minibus taxi was going to take us into the game reserve. I laughed when a fellow audience member commented on, “Only in South Africa could this fly”.

We enjoyed our tour over hills, through ravines and finally, rounding the final hill, there stood the elusive The Grand Tour tent in all its amazing glory. Everyone was excited. We had finally arrived and the day was only going to get better from here. We had arrived to snacks and followed by lunch, all well prepared and delicious. However, by 1 pm, the crowd was becoming restless; 15 minutes later, the producers finally called on us to gather and again in groups of 20 we entered the tent. It was truly amazing and I cannot share a single bit of what we saw. Sorry, as a staunch Clarkson, Hammond and May fan, I am going to respect the wishes and not ruin the fun ahead of the August launch.

I will say the new look and feel is not only fun, but also very appropriate for South Africa. I thought of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle as I stood there. For some, this may require a little googling, but for others, you can only let your imagination run wild with dusty antiques. The show format is new, exciting and they have tried to retain some of the fun elements we came to love at that other show, that they cannot speak of due to legal reasons.

The trio came out to greet us and reiterated their love for South Africa and the rowdy crowds they have come to love and treasure. Of course, the audience loved the buttering up and responded with great applause. The banter between the three was electric and the sarcasm as thick as James May’s crazy hair. With it being a recording, when the tapes stopped rolling, the jokes got dirtier and the boys relaxed and engaged a little with the crowd. I personally enjoyed seeing things happening behind the scenes - it gave me new respect for the hard work that goes into an hour-long show.

I, also, had never realized just how professional Clarkson, Hammond and May are, when the cameras are rolling.  Having been to some of their live shows, the difference is striking. At a live show, there is no second take, so they need to roll with the punches. When a mistake was made at the recording, they calmly called for another take and seamlessly reworked the scene, with almost scripted accuracy.

There is at least two exciting new elements they have brought to the show that could potentially harness an entire new audience for them, but only time will tell if these will work or not. The crowd was truly receptive to the trio of mad-hatters and when the Senior Producer (who comes from that other show we won't mention) came out to chat to the crowd towards the end, he thanked us and told us how much he loved South Africa, as we are easy going and just plain crazy. I could not help but notice a stark similarity to the hosts and their crew.

Soon however, it was all over. I could no longer watch the top of Jeremy Clarkson’s head as he berated Richard Hammond, who of course took it out on James May. It was a great adventure from start to finish and cannot wait for the August release of The Grand Tour on Amazon TV.  Sadly, at £79 per year, currently around R1500 not sure how viable this will be to some of the SA market. Having said that, your money will buy you 4k resolution - some of the best quality television available to date. So you may want to ensure you have a top-notch television to go with that Amazon subscription.

I am counting the days, as The Grand Tour really is a show worth waiting for!