back in the saddle
Jeremy Clarkson RETURNS to motoring television for special one-off appearance in hit show after The Grand Tour finale
The episode will see Clarkson get his hands dirty - and will feature a special reveal at his home
JEREMY Clarkson has made a surprise return to motoring TV for a special one-off appearance on a hit car show.
The former Top Gear and Grand Tour host, 64, secretly filmed an episode of the beloved motoring programme, which is set to air next month.
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Fans will see Clarkson team up with hosts Tim Shaw and Fuzz Townshend to restore a Land Rover Discovery Series 1 as a surprise for a deserving car owner on Car SOS.
The episode will not only see Clarkson getting his hands dirty in the restoration process, but will also feature a special reveal at his very own home.
The presenter generously allowed the crew to film the emotional unveiling on his lavish estate.
Speaking about Clarkson’s involvement, host Tim Shaw revealed: "I’d heard from a lot of people in the industry that Jeremy Clarkson was very unlikely to take part in the show.
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"The general sentiment was, ‘Good luck with that!’ But I figured it was worth a shot.
"Even though it was a busy time for Jeremy on the farm, I reached out to his long-time assistant and explained the story behind the car.
"It was an all-or-nothing request: ‘Could we come to his home and reveal the car to its owner?’
"To my surprise, she got back to me almost immediately after speaking with Jeremy – and the answer was yes. We were all totally stunned.
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"But it didn’t stop there. Not only did he agree, but he was happy for us to bring a full coach load of people - literally the kind of coach you see barrelling down the motorway.
"We had the entire family there, and when you see the size of the group, you realise just how generous this offer was. I mean, think about it – 60 strangers turning up at your property!"
Clarkson, Hammond and May battle it out in a campervan demolition derby in episode 8 of The Grand Tour
Despite his reputation for grumpiness, the Car SOS team were pleasantly surprised by Clarkson’s warm and welcoming nature on set.
Tim added: "The Car S.O.S team and I were even invited into his kitchen for a chat before the big reveal.
"We spent about half an hour with him, and he was warm, friendly, and, of course, typically sarcastic and funny. But what might surprise the Jeremy Clarkson sceptics is just how accommodating and kind he was.
"He genuinely cared about the wellbeing of both the team and, most importantly, the car’s owner."
Clarkson’s TV return comes just months after The Grand Tour aired its final episode in September, marking the end of an era for him and long-time co-presenters James May and Richard Hammond.
The Amazon Prime Video series, which launched in 2016 following their departure from Top Gear, saw the trio travel the globe in pursuit of car culture and adventure.
Their final outing, titled One for the Road, was an emotional send-off, with producer Andy Wilman admitting that filming the last episode was "quite weepy" and "heart-stringy".
Speaking at the Edinburgh TV Festival, Wilman said: "They say goodbye better than any other presenters could say goodbye.
"Because they’re so close as people, they take the p**s out of their own goodbye, and then the emotion will grow."
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While there have been talks of The Grand Tour continuing with new presenters, nothing has been confirmed as of yet.
Car S.O.S Season 13 airs on National Geographic, every Thursday at 8pm from 13th March
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