Jeremy Clarkson has always been a big TV star. But we may have seen the last of him brooding from the inside of a sports car. With the Grand Tour (Prime) over, at least he won't be doing it with James May and Richard Hammond any more.
Everything about this spectacular final show was super-sized. It was a full-length episode, clocking in at two hours and six minutes, and all with, frankly, incredible scenery.
They also traveled through Africa, a continent of no small importance, and came across one of the world's largest man-made dams, the Karibu Dam on the Zambezi, half of which Jeremy had missed because it was on the other side of his huge map.
They also talked a lot in their farewell program, marking 22 years of car shows together.
Jezza said: “We don't care anymore, we can say whatever we want.”
The real fans were disappointed. No one was intentionally offended.
It was the end of an era in television in which a single motoring show, Top Gear, had brought the so-called Three Amigos worldwide fame.
One scene at the end of the episode made this all too clear.
Clarkson, May and Hammond were in the wilderness when they were approached by four men.
The quartet might have been up to no good, but of course the three hosts quickly realized their intentions were simply to shake hands with three television legends.
Together they turned the car show into a sophisticated entertainment with school jokes, funny pranks and fast driving.
The show was enjoyed by men and women alike, although Clarkson often rode too close to the wind to BBC.
After their exploits on Top Gear ended in disgrace for Clarkson and his longing for hot food, the trio, along with Andy Wilman, their producer, conceived of a full-length HD film suitable for widescreen TVs of all users.
It was a huge success, but budgets don't last forever, and so Amazon said goodbye to what were at one point their highest paid presenters.
It is not without sadness that we bid farewell to this trio. Who can forget the near-tragic episode when Hammond crashed a rocket car and suffered a serious head injury? Fortunately, it did not have a lasting impact.
As they sailed their boats (and cars) through the Caribou, Clarkson began to empty the bar, then confessed in the moonlight, sitting on a barstool: “What a career, what a life.”
This week, Grey's (ITV, Sun) found itself in familiar territory, with one of its murders closer to Midsomer Murders than Brighton Rock.
The first victim was found drowned in a vat of milk! It was worthy of Detective Barnaby dealing with a victim knocked over by a cheese wheel. Milky me.
In this case, a “cereal” killer was on the loose. Craig Parkinson's Norman, usually the office prankster, failed to pull off the obvious joke, but caught the killer.
It was far from the main event. I was more worried about my estranged wife, Sandy, who was exhausted as hell—hard to do gracefully—in her final moments.
It was a great teaser for viewers. Who was in the frame? Did Grace's favourite detective hire a hitman? His superintendent? Or did the driver think he was playing Grand Theft Auto? If it was just an accident, what a waste of a storyline.
One word of caution for Grace, who now wants to get married. Don’t show up to the stag do dressed as a nun, and don’t handcuff yourself to the banisters without being able to afford a fitter. As we saw in the opening scene. It’ll cost you £180 – or six cocktails in Brighton!
Is Michael Whitehall, the father of the famous Jack, now a real funny guy or was he always like this? In the new Netflix On Fatherhood with My Dad, the dad knocked his son's one-liners out of the park. On a trip to Los Angeles, they explored “wearable technology” at a company where one worker had magnets under her skin. Michael quipped, “Have you ever been stuck to a refrigerator?!”
He often speaks for the nation. Wrapped in a womb-like cocoon, Michael was asked at a retreat to remove characteristics he didn’t like, to which he replied: “The 20mph speed limit, New World wine, The Guardian, voice memos… and John Mullingar.” Who? It was his neighbour. For now.
Finally, he was quite taken with the lifelike robot Amaka, made in Cornwall – “It was nice spending time with you…”, he told her sincerely. Jack was pleased that “touching was not allowed”, but there was talk about your favorite composer Elgar or an artist you like.
AI may soon become popular.