What does it take to present The Grand Tour? Drive in high heels
What does it take to present The Grand Tour? Drive in high heels
Tom McArdleTue, August 25, 2026 at 12:26 PM UTC
0
The new hosts of Prime Video’s The Grand Tour are James Engelsman, Thomas Holland and Francis Bourgeois - Amazon Prime Video
Francis Bourgeois had to drive in high heels to land his new job as a co-presenter on The Grand Tour.
The avid trainspotter said that to secure the gig, he had to reverse a trailer into a bay in shoes with platform heels, trying not to knock eggs off cones.
Bourgeois will be joined by Thomas Holland and James Englesman to host Prime Video’s motoring show after the high-profile departures of Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May.
Shedding light on the producer’s unusual hiring methods, the 26-year-old – whose real name is Luke Nicolson – said he was also questioned on his car knowledge.
Francis Bourgeois said he was taking the role on the motoring show because of his love for cars - Amazon Prime Video
Bourgeois, who went viral during lockdown by sharing trainspotting videos on his TikTok, told the Radio Times: “I wore high heels while reversing a trailer into a bay, trying not to knock eggs off cones.
“It was about putting us in tricky situations and seeing how we worked together.
Advertisement
“I was trying to show off my best form, but what shone through was that we were having a brilliant time, and that’s what ultimately got us cast.”
Francis Bourgeois, left, said the trio’s chemistry was an important factor in why they were hired
While their chemistry was important, the trio also needed to show car knowledge similar to that of their predecessors.
He continued: “We were shown images of car parts – a panel, the rear quarter, a wheel – and had to say what car it was. I nailed that.
“It showed my car enthusiasm is as deeply wired as my railway enthusiasm. We’re not doing this because it’s a good gig, we’re doing it because we love cars.”
Bourgeois went viral during lockdown by sharing trainspotting videos on his TikTok - RORY MULVEY/Amazon Prime Video
The final episode of The Grand Tour hosted by Clarkson, Hammond and May premiered in September 2024, when they went on a road trip across Zimbabwe.
The trio, who moved over to the Amazon show after having presented the BBC’s Top Gear for 12 years, stopped because they felt they had “exhausted” the show and did not want to “overstay their welcome”.
The new iteration, which starts on Sept 4, will see the new hosts take on a series of challenges, from racing cars against fighter jets in the Californian desert to street racing in Angola.
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
