Excitement was in the air as hundreds of people swarmed Lincoln Cathedral to catch a glimpse of The Grand Tour’s season three finale in 2018. The Grand Tour was devised in the wake of the departure of Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May from BBC’s Top Gear.
The third series of the hit Amazon show saw Britain’s beloved motoring trio come to Lincoln. Filming took place in October 2018 at Lincoln Cathedral and the Lincolnshire Showground, with fans queuing for hours for a chance to see some of the cars on show.
At the time, Jeremy Clarkson tweeted about how much he loved the episode, saying that he put his “heart and soul” into writing it. Those lucky enough to bag a ticket for the filming at the cathedral were invited to ‘sing a hymn’ to celebrate the end of a piece of British motoring history. The episode aired on May 12, 2019.
Explaining the contents of the episode, a spokesperson for the show said: “In the final episode of this series, Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May present a short and informative history class on one of the bedrocks of British life; the medium-sized Ford saloon. Starting with the Cortina of the 1960s and 1970s, the three chart the history of the car that changed British society and provided transport for millions of dads including Clarkson senior and father May though not, to his annoyance, Richard’s dad.
“To cover the 80s part of this documentary, Richard takes to the track in the legendary Sierra RS Cosworth before all three hosts re-group to celebrate the Ford Mondeo and this model’s unique claim to fame. Since the Mondeo seems certain to cease production without replacement in the coming years, the history lesson ends with a touching memorial service in Lincoln Cathedral to this totem of British life.”
See below for pictures taken in October 2018 during filming for The Grand Tour season three finale.