Jeremy Clarkson calls James May ‘senile’ over claims he won't be starring in the new Grand Tour

Jeremy Clarkson has weighed in on claims from his former co-star James May suggesting that he won't appear in the upcoming The Grand Tour episodes.

Last month, it was confirmed that Amazon would be releasing a four special episodes looking back on the many laughs and hijinks which Clarkson, Hammond and May got up to over the years titled The Not Very Grand Tour: The Power and the Glory. Meanwhile, three further specials titled The Grand-ish Tour will be hitting our screens later in 2025 and into 2026.

However, the episodes may or may not be missing a certain petrolhead-turned-farmer, if the words of James May are to be believed.

Jeremy Clarkson has weighed in his former co-star's comments about upcoming The Grand Tour specials (John Keeble/Getty Images)

Speaking about the special in an interview with Al Arabiya News (via Oxford Mail), May, 62, poured cold water over the prospect of a reunion.

"Well, I'm afraid it's not a reunion," he said, claiming that Clarkson would be absent.

"The Not Very Grand Tour is essentially a best-of compilation hosted from the studio by me and Richard Hammond," he continued.

"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.

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

If the idea that a series of special episodes would be presented by only two members of the very famous trio seems a little bizarre, that's because it may very well be, as the Clarkson's Farm star has now rebuffed May's comments on social media.

"I fear the poor old dear has become senile," he wrote. "Because while he can’t remember me being there, I can."

The Sunday Times columnist went on to rubbish any suggestion of further The Grand Tour outings, joking that he now had 'too many cows' to head out on lengthy filming expeditions abroad.

"To be clear, there are some 'best ofs' coming," he replied to one follower. "Zimbabwe was the last one. I have too many cows now to go swanning off."

Never one to miss out on a chance of engaging in some playful ribbing at the expense of his former co-stars, Clarkson then responded to a fan joking about May being '85 years old for the last 40 years' by joking: "He was 85 when he was born."

Which isn't out of character, given the fact that he and Hammond spent their careers referring to May as 'Captain Slow'.

The trio have famously worked together since 2002 (Alan Chapman/Dave Benett/Getty Images)

Meanwhile, May recently touched on what it was like to work with the pair on Top Gear and The Grand Tour, telling ABC News Breakfast: "It was probably the right time to stop. We are getting on a bit, our view of the subject is probably becoming a bit dated.

"It’s time for a younger generation to re-evaluate it and think of a new way of talking about things like cars."

The Not Very Grand Tour will be released to Amazon Prime Video on Friday, 18 April.