The Grand Tour’s Richard Hammond admits ‘I thought I was going to die’ after botched stunt – and claims he has been ‘cut out of clothes by paramedics so many times he can no longer dress himself’
Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May are gearing up to say goodbye with one epic final episode of The Grand Tour: One For The Road.
Speaking at an event to promote the final episode of The Grand Tour, the trio took part in an extended Q&A as they looked back on their last 22 years together.
However, during the event Richard, 54, admitted that he feared for his life in the latest driving series and thought he was ‘going to die’ after a botched stunt.
The star, who had a horrifying crash in 2006 while filming BBC‘s Top Gear, discussed one particular scene in the finale where he had to cross dangerous terrain in his car.
Richard confessed: ‘I thought I was going to die,’ when reflecting on traversing crocodile-filled waters on a raft in Zimbabwe.
Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May are gearing up to say goodbye with one epic final episode of The Grand Tour: One For The Road
Speaking at an event to promote the final episode of The Grand Tour, the trio took part in an extended Q&A as they looked back on their last 22 years together
However, during the event Richard, 54, admitted that he feared for his life in the latest driving series and thought he was ‘going to die’ after a botched stunt
The star, who has been involved in two serious accidents, both of which left him hospitalised, also joked that due to the accidents he has ‘forgotten’ how to dress himself.
He said: ‘I’ve been cut out of my trousers [by paramedics] so many times I’ve forgotten how to dress myself. I don’t know how I’m going to cope [now it’s over]!’
Richard’s terrifying car crash in 2006 landed the star in a coma and caused him to suffer from a frontal lobe brain injury.
He was shooting a daredevil stunt for the former BBC programme in York and one of the tyres on his car burst which caused the car to spin out of control resulting in the terrifying crash.
Jeremy, 64, also reminisced about his long career with Richard and James, 61, and spoke about his most terrifying moment in the Bolivia episode where he tackled a track known as ‘Death Road’.
The star said: ‘I remember my children were watching and they said “we’re nervous and you’re sitting right next to us on the sofa so we know you definitely made it”.’
Discussing Richard’s accidents on the show, Jeremy echoed: ‘Richard almost never took his own trousers off, it was always a paramedic.’
Elsewhere during the event, the trio also confessed that they won’t miss camping as Richard recounted sleeping ‘in a ditch full of cockroaches’ when they filmed in Bolivia.
The star, who has been involved in two serious accidents, both of which left him hospitalised, also joked that due to the accidents he has ‘forgotten’ how to dress himself
He said: ‘I’ve been cut out of my trousers (by paramedics) so many times I’ve forgotten how to dress myself. I don’t know how I’m going to cope!’
However, it seems the provisions in the most recent series were more luxurious as they had a pastry chef and barista on site to whip them up a delicious breakfast.
They also gave some big spoilers as to what to expect from their final episode that airs on September 13 on Prime Video.
Jeremy confessed: ‘We pick some unsuitable cars’ Meanwhile, Richard revealed that they were strangely nice to each other for their final run.
He added: ‘I was nice to James over the radio and it was met with silence.’
It comes after Prime Video unveiled a first look at the final episode of The Grand Tour: One For The Road.
The first look snaps revealed emotional Grand Tour stars Jeremy, Richard, and James uniting for one last time and sharing their last moments together after gracing television screens as a trio for the last 22 years.
In their last adventure, viewers can expect to see Jeremy, Richard, and James ignore Mr Wilman’s instructions and head to Zimbabwe in three cars they’ve always wanted to own.
The trio will embark on a stunning road trip through beautiful, challenging landscapes before finishing the episode with an emotional ending on a strangely familiar island.
In one first look snap, the trio are spotted giggling around a campfire as they sip on a couple of beers and enjoy a relaxing break next to a stunning lake.
Elsewhere during the event, the trio also confessed that they won’t miss camping
They also gave some big spoilers as to what to expect from their final episode that airs on September 13 on Prime Video
In another snap, the trio cut smart casual figures as they pose up a storm with their vintage cars.
A third snap shows Jeremy having a bit of a giggle with Richard as they all take a break from driving.
Long-time producer Andy Wilman told the Edinburgh TV Festival that filming the episode was ‘quite weepy’ and ‘quite heart-stringy’.
Asked why the trio had decided to bring to a close the global phenomenon, Wilman said: ‘We are getting to the point where enough is enough. On top of that, there is the sense that we want to end things on our own terms. It had to come to an end and we wanted to be the ones who called it.’
They shot the last episode in September last year. It will see the hosts return to Kubu Island, Botswana, which was the location of their first-ever special. Wilman described the episode as “deliberately gentle” as the three stars wanted to go back to basics.
It comes after Prime Video unveiled a first look at the final episode of The Grand Tour: One For The Road
The first look snaps revealed emotional Grand Tour stars Jeremy , Richard , and James uniting for one last time and sharing their last moments together after gracing television screens as a trio for the last 22 years
After 22 years, the TV partnership between Jeremy, Richard, and James is definitively over (pictured in January 2019)
The Grand Tour premiered on 18 November 2016, and the programme was conceived in the wake of the departure of Jeremy, Richard, and James from the BBC series Top Gear (The group in a promotional photo for BBC’s Top Gear, which they presented from 2003 to 2015)
He said: ‘They wanted to go “unplugged”. We wanted to go back to 2005, leave the dynamite at home, we will go with s*** old cars. They give you more TV than modern new cars, they give you more stories, more laughs. So they wanted evocative cars that they adore and they wanted to be in Africa. It is the favourite continent we ever filmed in.’
The producer added: ‘Their comradery is next level. I think that you can see that they know this is the last time they will do this.’
The trio drive three cars they’ve always wanted to own, a Lancia Montecarlo, a Ford Capri 3-litre, and a Triumph Stag,
Driving behind the wheel of his car in a first-look clip, Clarkson looks down to the camera, and emotionally says: ‘So for the last time, here we go.’
Slides on the screen read: ‘After 22 years, the end has finally come.’
The Grand Tour: One For The Road will launch exclusively on Prime Video in more than 240 countries on 13 September.