James May says that The Grand Tour, when it is back on Amazon Prime in December, will be able to walk the fine line of progressiveness and stubborn familiarity.
The show’s use of homophobic jokes has been criticized by liberals. Jeremy Clarkson recently refuted the growing notion of cancel culture.
The 58-year old presenter insists that the show will respond to social change and use the same dry humor that helped May Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and Richard Hammond establish a rapport instantly with their fans.
Balancing act: James May claims The Grand Tour will walk the fine line between progressiveness and defiant familiarity when it returns to Amazon Prime in December
The Grand Tour: Carnage a Trois is their latest series. The trio embraces French culture and was filmed in Wales due to travel restrictions imposed by the coronavirus pandemic.
Of the show’s divisive humour, May told the Daily Star and other outlets: ‘I hope we’re always careful about the jokes we make because we’re not actually trying to alienate people or offend people.
‘We make fun of people – that’s not quite the same thing. We try to be inclusive in that everybody is equally open for mockery and derision – mainly ourselves, let’s be honest.
Coming soon: The latest series, The Grand Tour: Carnage a Trois, finds the trio in a race of their lives as they embrace French car culture
‘So I’m not aware that we made any crass homophobic jokes or comments. I hope we didn’t, but I’ll have to look back at it.’
He added: ‘I don’t think we’re running scared of cancel culture and all the rest of it but I suppose unconsciously and just like everybody else in the world, we’re probably reassessing how we think about things, which is no bad thing in my view because society is a work in progress and it must always move on.
‘So we’re not entrenched. We haven’t dug ourselves in and said, ‘No, we’re living in the 1970s with 1970s attitudes, make us a cup of tea, love.’ We’re not doing that. We’re actually quite modern people, I think.
“Except Richard Hammond who seems to be stuck in 1955 with his Jaguar E-Type Jaguar. But yes, on the whole, we’re reasonably progressive, I hope.’
Not happy: Will Young, a singer in October was left’shocked’ and upset by Jeremy Clarkson’s ‘offensive humors’ during the Colombia Special. Jeremy Clarkson drove a pink Jeep Wrangler. This prompted a furious Twitter tirade.
Will Young was a Pop Idol winner and took aim at Richard Hammond, who made homophobic comments after watching an Amazon series.
42-year-old singer was left’shocked, upset’ by 51-year old presenter. Jeremy Clarkson had driven a pink Jeep Wrangler through Colombia, sparking a furious Twitter rant.
Will stated that Jeremy was a ‘least of his problems’ while Hammond was the ‘worst’ in an interview with The Times.
Furious: The former Pop Idol star hit out at host Richard Hammond for making what he viewed as homophobic jokes after he watched an episode of the Amazon series
He claimed that Clarkson was his least favorite. Richard Hammond, who says “I’ve got many gay friends”, is the worst.
‘The main narrative of Jeremy Clarkson driving a hairdresser’s car was chosen by the producers. Jeremy Clarkson, in essence, is homosexual. He was wearing a pink shirt. They paint the car pink. He is playing It’s Raining Men.
“Clarkson was my least problem. Richard Hammond, and not the producers. The whole thing was created by them and Amazon let it go. “I was shocked and upset.
Opinionated: Clarkson has since lashed out at cancel culture, claiming the changing tide in what it deemed appropriate or funny is a backward step
Will told The Times that he has previously spoken out in defense of The Grand Tour’s presenters on Twitter, but that Richard must ‘take full responsibility’ for the comments.
Richard said that he had never been homophobic when the Colombia Special was broadcast.
Clarkson has been scathing about cancel culture since then, saying that the shifting tide in its stance on what is appropriate and funny was a backward move.
The Daily Star was told by him that he is on borrowed time, and that he would soon be tapped on the shoulder by the HR Stasi. My friends are terrified and I talk about it often with them.
New series: The Grand Tour: Carnage a Trois airs on Amazon Prime on December 17
“They are aware that they will lose their job if they keep eating and doing and saying the same things they have done for 40 years.
“And even if it doesn’t, they’ll still be out for their ears because they’ve eaten and spoken and done that back in 1974.”
He said, “All you can do in a world that you are guilty till proven innocent and then you’re still guilt, is to tiptoe through your life trying as many hay as you can so when you get kicked into touch, it’s not the end of our world.”
Amazon Prime’s Grand Tour will be back on December 17.