OHMYGOSSIP — James May is set to front a new historical travel show.
The ‘Grand Tour’ presenter is moving on after the Amazon Prime Video series – which he hosted with former ‘Top Gear’ co-stars Richard Hammond and Jeremy Clarkson – finished filming earlier this year, and now he travel the show for new Channel 5 venture ‘The Great Explorers With James May’.
The programme will see him follow in the footsteps of explorers Christopher Columbus, James Cook and Sir Walter Raleigh, as well as delving into the dark side of their journeys.
He said: “TV shows are often described as ‘journeys’ and ‘explorations’. This one really is about journeys and exploration.
“We all think we know the basic pub facts about these three great men, but the reality may come as a bit of a surprise.
“It certainly was to me.”
A source told The Sun newspaper’s TVBiz column that the show will be made up for “three 90-minute episodes dedicated to each name”.
The insider said: “James is no stranger to being part of a great adventure, thanks to his travelogue series that’s taken him from Italy to India on Prime Video.
“But this show is all about James looking back over the journeys of the world’s most notable explorers across three 90-minute episodes dedicated to each name.
“Not only will he examine the success of their stories, from engineering innovation to culinary invention, but also the treasures brought back to dark, damp Europe.”
The programme will show viewers the “less impressive” or desirable sides of the three explorers.
The source added: “This series will also reveal the less impressive or palatable aspects of these men.
“For many, their discoveries may not be quite what they expected.”