TikTok sensation Francis Bourgeois is tipped to be the surprise replacement for Jeremy Clarkson on motoring show The Grand Tour.
READ MORE: The Grand Tour – Six Ways Amazon’s Top Gear Is Different
The show’s original hosts – Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond – left the Amazon show last year with their final special, One For The Road, released in September. They had fronted the show since 2016, having come to the streamer after leaving BBC car show Top Gear in 2015.
Their departure leaves a void that could well be filled by likeable internet personality Bourgeois (real name Luke Magnus Nicolson). Since the early 2020s, he has amassed a large following thanks to his trainspotting videos, which usually involve him enthusiastically watching rare and vintage trains pass by.
He has collaborated with numerous brands and celebrities, including making videos with Prince William and Kate Middleton, Joe Jonas, and footballer Thierry Henry. Elsewhere, he has appeared in adverts for Gucci, and had his own Channel 4 digital series Trainspotting With Francis Bourgeois.
Now, The Sun reports he may be in the running to take over from Clarkson and co. on The Grand Tour.
A source told the paper: “Francis is a big noise online and Amazon producers are hoping to bring him into the mainstream. He is loved by everyone – from royals to rappers – and is sure to be a hit with Grand Tour viewers”.
They added: “Francis is not just a social media sensation but trained as a mechanical engineer so knows his stuff.”
Outgoing Grand Tour host Clarkson has found success outside of the world of cars, with his own documentary series Clarkson’s Farm and as the host of quiz show Who Wants To Be A Millionaire since 2018.
Recently, fans of the show expressed their disbelief at celebrity contestant Jools Holland, whom one viewer called the “worst” in the show’s history.
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