Jeremy Clarkson calls James May ‘senile’ after The Grand Tour host’s swipe

LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 10: (L-R) Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond attend an evening with "The Grand Tour" at Television Centre on September 10, 2024 in London, England. The evening commemorated the show, leading up to the release of its final episode, which premieres on Prime Video on September 13th. (Photo by Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images) — Jeremy Clarkson has taken aim at James May (Picture: Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images)

Jeremy Clarkson joked James May ‘has become senile’ over confusion about The Grand Tour ‘reunion’.

The Amazon Prime Video show ended with a one off finale in September 2024, but the streamer recently confirmed four special episodes, starting with The Not Very Grand Tour: The Power and the Glory on April 18.

The retrospective episodes – which will include three specials titled The Grand-Ish Tour in 2025 and 2026 – were initially expected to be bringing former Top Gear trio Clarkson, May and Richard Hammond back together.

However, May, 62, recently insisted that Clarkson wouldn’t be part of the episodes.

‘Jeremy Clarkson wasn’t available for some reason, but we’re all in the clips. It’s all things you’ve seen before, but chopped up in a different way,’ he told Al Arabiya News host Tom Burges Watson.

‘We recorded it a while back. I can’t remember why he couldn’t be there. He was probably busy.’

Mandatory Credit: Photo by Beretta/Sims/REX/Shutterstock (1230920b) Jeremy Clarkson and James May Jeremy Clarkson and James May launching the Top Gear Live tour, Surrey, Britain - 06 Oct 2010 — The pair have been pals for years (Picture: Beretta/Sims/REX/Shutterstock)

And Clarkson, 64, has now fired back, insisting he was actually at the recording for the recap specials.

He wrote on X: ‘I fear the poor old dear has become senile. Because while he can’t remember me being there, I can.’

And after a fan asked why they delivered an ’emotional “final” episode’ only to return so soon, Clarkson explained the format is more of a ‘best of’ show.

He replied: ‘To be clear, there are some “best ofs” coming. Zimbabwe was the last one. I have too many cows now to go swanning off.’

May made his comments during the same interview in which he lashed out at his friend’s rival pub The Farmer’s Dog, insisted his own Royal Oak is ‘better’.

Clarkson has been open about the struggles he’s faced at his Oxfordshire pub, admitting he’s been suffering ‘total disasters’ making profits and facing behind-the-scenes issues.

EMBARGOED TO 0001 THURSDAY AUGUST 29 File photo dated 23/08/24 of Jeremy Clarkson at the opening of his new pub, The Farmer's Dog, in Asthall, near Burford in Oxfordshire. A spike in searches for homes near Jeremy Clarkson's new pub has been recorded by property website Rightmove, after the pub reopened to the public on August 23 after being renamed The Farmer's Dog. Issue date: Thursday August 29, 2024. PA Photo. Rightmove said that August 24, the day after the pub's opening, saw the highest number of searches for homes for sale in Burford in more than a year. See PA story MONEY Clarkson. Photo credit should read: Ben Birchall/PA Wire — Clarkson opened the doors to his The Farmer’s Dog pub in August (Picture: Ben Birchall/PA Wire)

James May Royal Oak in Swallowcliffe, Wiltshire — May’s The Royal Oak opened in 2021 (Picture: James May)

He’s now been dealt a blow by his former Top Gear co-star, as May revealed his own pub is ‘more relaxed’.

‘Mine’s much better. I think that’s the main difference,’ he insisted. ‘I haven’t actually been to Jeremy’s pub. I’ve met a few people who have.

‘It sounds like, well, from what I can gather, he’s gone for a sort of mass throughput model.

‘So he’s got hundreds of people queuing up to have his burger, whereas ours is a little bit more relaxed.’

Presenterts Jeremy Clarkson and James May attend the Top Gear Live photo call ahead of the start of the Acer Arena live show tomorrow night, at Campbell's Cove in Sydney, Australia. SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - FEBRUARY 10:(L-R) (Photo by Mike Flokis/Getty Images) — There’s a healthy rivalry between the two co-stars (Picture: Mike Flokis/Getty Images)

The 62-year-old added: ‘It’s a village pub where people come. The food is great, we’ve got a fabulous chef and team of chefs.

‘So mine would feel more like, more like a regular English pub. It’s not old fashioned, it hasn’t got horse brass on the walls or any of that tweed stuff, there’s no Morris dancing. I won’t allow that. It is just a pub.’

May added that he is also finding it ‘extremely difficult’ to run a pub and that even though it is ‘successful’, The Royal Oak has ‘just survived’ amid rising costs.

It has previously been claimed May and Clarkson were ‘in intense competition’ and trying to ‘outdo each other’, while May was said to be banned from Clarkson’s pub.

Jeremy Clarkson in The Farmer's Dog pub — He’s been open about the issues his pub has faced (Picture: Neil Robinson/PA Wire)

In an interview with The Telegraph last year, May joked that they were ‘creatively fuelled by a mutual loathing’ although that’s why their ‘dynamic worked’.

Clarkson later responded: ‘We’ve spent more time in each other’s company than our families’ over the last 25 years so I don’t think it would have lasted as long as it did if we’d hated each other as much as James likes to think.’

It had also been reported that May’s pub was fractionally cheaper than Clarkson’s, who has faced immense backlash over prices when it was revealed that merch alone could cost up to £60.

In recent months, Clarkson has been open about struggling to make profits at his pub, and facing a series of problems in the run up to Christmas.

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Writing in his column in The Times last year, he said: ‘It’s galling to see how much effort is required to make so little money on the farm.

‘It’s worse at the pub. The customers are coming. There’s no problem there. But turning their visits into a profit is nigh-on impossible.’

He also shared his fears of not making money back after reportedly splurging £1,000,000 on his pub.

Amid backlash over prices for food and merch, he said last year: ‘This place is costing us a fortune. God knows if we’ll ever make our money back.’

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