Clarkson, Hammond & May/Pilot Shorts
| CHM Live Pilot Shorts | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Preceded by | Top Gear Series 22 (2014 - 2015) |
| Superceded by | The Grand Tour Season 1 (2016 - 2017) |
In May 2015, the aftermath of Jeremy Clarkson's dismissal from Top Gear resulted in Top Gear's then-current presenting team of Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May to commence their departure from the BBC. The trio would meet up[1] at the house of ITV channel director Peter Fincham for a secret rendezvous which also involved Andy Wilman and Elaine Bedell, the channel's entertainment boss who had previously worked with Clarkson at the BBC. Ultimately, any potential deal fell through with resultant programme The Grand Tour falling in the favour of American online streaming service Amazon Prime.
During this time, the three produced a series of short films for their ongoing live tour, Clarkson, Hammond & May Live due to Brand Events losing the rights to the Top Gear name in light of Clarkson's fracas. It is these shorts which can be argued to serve as the "missing link" between Top Gear and The Grand Tour, with many incorrectly speculating at the time that these films were being produced to appear in the latter.
