Where we may mock light entertainment or the so-called wretches of reality television, there are few diamonds left in the rough. Top Gear turned a show about cars into a communal event even for those who still, nearing twenty-five, hold a provisional licence. But what joy there is in seeing the culmination of decades’ worth of work. A farewell plan for James May, Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond had surely been in the works right around the end of their BBC programme, but The Grand Tour gave them new life, and a bigger budget, to work with. The Grand Tour: One for the Road is an ultimately fitting conclusion for the trio, who are marking not just the end of the programme but finalising their time working together. It is, truly, the end of an era, or at least it is for fans of the show.
Sentiment carries the weaker moments of the special but this is a fitting, funny farewell to the long-running trio. It is the end of an era. Not just for Clarkson, May and Hammond as a recognisable presenting unit but for the elaborate set pieces and wider, staged comedy segments. In its place are the roots of what made their Top Gear and later work on The Grand Tour so enjoyable. Binge-watching a season or two of either show when flat out with the flu, sucking nutrients through a bowl and praying this sneeze is the last, feels like a communal experience. Everyone knew these three and because of it, there is the chance for recurring gags to take hold. Some are reliant on the earliest works the three put together, others contained to just this special.
Instead of those impressive moments where bridges or pulley systems are put in place, as they were in previous episodes of The Grand Tour, there is a grounded appeal to One for the Road. It is almost a shock to see the three working through minor problems and reaching a feasible destination instead of rampaging through the desert in buggy cars or parading around in cars made of mud. There is a realism to their efforts on this last outing which will, inevitably, tug at the heartstrings of those of a weaker mind than stony-faced journalists, watching through a fade of illness and blotches of bolognese. There is still something inherently likeable about the trio and their work together, which makes this finale not just a necessary way to call time on their work together but also an articulate traipse through their achievement.
The Grand Tour: One for the Road is a likeable enough special, filled with enough heart between its three to enjoy. Classic gags are thrown out not for the sake of avoiding repetition but because Clarkson, May and Hammond hope to, at the very least, provide their genuine selves for at least one special. Delicate moments towards the end reveal this. It ends as it began, with the three heading out to the destination of their first special. It hits better than it should and for much of the special, tenderness wins out over humour. There may be moments where Richard “Buttons” Hammond could be left to the crocodiles, but the camaraderie of the three perseveres in moments which, had it been any other special, would be another avenue for a cheap and fun gag. Not this time around, the last time around.
