Who doesn’t love a good road trip? The open road, the banter between friends, the hilarious mishaps – road trips make for an epic adventure. And when it comes to epic road trips, nothing beats the Grand Tour Turkey episode.
In this hugely popular episode of Amazon Prime’s hit motoring show The Grand Tour, hosts Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May embark on a jaunt across Turkey that brings humor, breathtaking cinematography, and of course, fantastic cars As a fan of the show and a travel enthusiast, I was eagerly awaiting this episode. And it did not disappoint!
Overview of The Grand Tour Turkey Episode
The episode kicks off in the dazzling city of Istanbul, as the hosts cruise down the streets in their luxurious supercars. From there, they head to the famous rock formations of Cappadocia, where James May has a near-death experience in a hot air balloon ride gone wrong.
The trio also explores the ruins of Ephesus, an ancient Greek city on the coast, and enjoy a relaxing dip in the stunning white calcium pools of Pamukkale. Their journey along the Turquoise Coast culminates in Antalya, where their luxury yacht awaits!
Throughout their Turkish adventure, they drive an exciting mix of supercars – Jeremy in a Jaguar F-Type SVR, Richard in an Aston Martin V8 Vantage, and James in a BMW M5. This exotic trio of vehicles makes for some thrilling car stunts and gorgeous cinematography against the backdrop of Turkey’s natural beauty and historic sites.
Highlights of the Grand Tour Turkey Episode
Clarkson’s Crazy Camel Ride
One of the most hilarious moments is when Jeremy attempts to ride a camel in Cappadocia – with expectedly chaotic results. His expressions and screams of terror as the camel gets up and starts walking are simply priceless! This mini misadventure perfectly captures the hosts’ spirit of fun and willingness to try new things.
Hot Air Balloon Near-Disaster
James decides to go on a hot air balloon ride for a breathtaking aerial view of Cappadocia’s unique rock formations. But as he floats up in the balloon, he starts getting violently airsick. To make matters worse, the balloon pilot speaks no English, leaving James helplessly queasy and panicking. Watching him nearly throw up while trapped in the balloon makes for some excellent physical comedy.
Ancient Ruins of Ephesus
The hosts explore the incredible ancient ruins of Ephesus, marvelling at the preserved marble streets, grand architecture, and remnants of chariot racing stadiums. Their insight and reactions while walking these historic sites provide a nice dose of culture to complement all the hilarious car stunts.
Sports Cars on the Turquoise Coast
The episode concludes with the three hosts racing their luxury sports cars along the winding, ruggedly beautiful Turquoise Coast in southern Turkey. This is where the cinematography is at its best, capturing the stunning coastal landscapes as the supercars carve through the roads by the sea. Jeremy’s Jaguar, Richard’s Aston Martin, and James’ BMW make for a feast for the eyes in these scenic shots.
Why The Grand Tour Turkey Episode Was a Huge Hit
This episode became an instant favorite among fans for several reasons:
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Humor: The Grand Tour is loved for its off-the-cuffs style humor, which was on full display here. From Clarkson’s camel mishap to May’s hot air balloon misery, there were laughs aplenty.
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Stunning cinematography: The director captured Turkey’s diverse natural beauty remarkably well – from the otherworldly Cappadocia to the Turquoise Coast.
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Excellent selection of cars: The Jaguar, Aston Martin, and BMW were a perfect blend of luxury, speed, and style for the Turkish terrain.
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Interesting cultural insights: In between all the jokes and car stunts, the hosts sprinkled in some interesting facts and observations about Turkey’s history and culture.
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CAMARADERIE: The easy camaraderie between Clarkson, Hammond, and May makes their travel adventures so fun to watch. Their sharp wit and rapport shined through in this episode.
Addressing the Controversy Regarding Insensitive Remarks
Unfortunately, the episode also generated some controversy and criticism over a few insensitive remarks made by the hosts about Turkish culture and people. Some viewers condemned these remarks as offensive and racist.
Jeremy Clarkson came under particular scrutiny for a disparaging joke he made about the Turkish president Erdogan. Many felt this joke was in poor taste and crossed the line.
The reactions highlighted the need for television personalities to exercise cultural sensitivity. As someone who greatly enjoys the Grand Tour and its hosts, I believe firmly that they should acknowledge the legitimate concerns raised rather than be dismissive.
Accountability will only make them better. We all say or do insensitive things on occasion, often unintentionally. What matters is that we listen, learn, and work to improve – without getting overly defensive.
Why I Can’t Wait for Them to Return to Turkey
Despite the controversy, I thoroughly enjoyed experiencing Turkey through the hosts’ witty commentary and adventurous spirit. It left me eagerly hoping that they will head back someday to explore more of what Turkey has to offer.
With its rich history, vibrant culture, and incredibly diverse landscape – from Mediterranean beaches to mountain valleys – Turkey has endless possibilities for their unique brand of humor and hijinks.
Personally, I would love to see them do a historical episode focused on retracing parts of the famous Silk Road trading route. Or have them attempt sailing traditional Turkish gulet boats down the coast.
No matter what, I’m sure the trio will find new hilarious ways to immerse themselves in the culture while driving insanely expensive cars and bickering every step of the way. That’s the addictive formula we fans can’t get enough of.
The Grand Tour Turkey episode gave us a small tease of this captivating country. Hopefully, Clarkson, Hammond, and May will fully satiate our Turkish travel cravings with even more adventures across this crossroads of culture and history.
Sea to Unsalty Sea
- Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May are on a quest in Georgia and Azerbaijan. They will test three new GT Cars to see how they drive, how they perform and last but not least how they race on a genuine Formula One Racing Track.
- Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May are driving the Aston Martin DBS, the Bentley Continental GT and the BMW M850i on an epic 1000 kilometre trip from the shores of the saltwater Black Sea in Georgia to the edge of the freshwater Caspian Sea in Azerbaijan.—Baysara
- The trio drive from Georgia to Azerbaijan each in a powerful Grand Tourer – Clarkson takes the Aston Martin DBS Superleggera (72 kgs lighter than the DB11, but costs BP 67000 more, which itself costs BP 225,000. twin turbo V12, 211 mph, whisper quiet, 715 BHP) with him, Hammond settles on the latest Bentley Continental GT (626 BHP, luxurious interiors and very comfortable for long drives, 6L twin turbo W12), and May utilizes the new BMW 8 Series (Bp 100,000, 4.4L turbo charged V8, 523 BHP, 4 wheel drive, 8 speed gear box). The voice activation systems are bad in the Aston and the BMW. Starting from the Black Sea they drive over 1000km to the Caspian Sea, across motorways, rural roads and beautiful cities staging many challenges along their journey to determine which of their chosen GTs is best. Their first town is Gori (birthplace of Stalin). They visit the house which was Stalins place where he grew up. That night May and Clarkson vandalize a local Stalin statue and cut its head and use it as a masthead on Hammonds car. On the way they check out the Russian Georgian border, where Russia has put up a fence, which it moves slowly into Georgian territory at night. This is how they are annexing Georgia bit by bit. One villager ventured out at night and couldnt return to his home as he was now fenced behind the Russian barbed wire. Next, they find a racetrack at Tbilisi. Aston can drift even with the traction control on. The Bentley weighs 2.25 tonnes but has a lot of technology to make it go fast including torque vectoring, active diff, dynamic suspension and so on. The Bentley also drifts around corners. The BMW has the least power and power to weight ratio but makes up for it with tech as well. 4-wheel drive, 4-wheel steering etc. Around the track Aston: 2:00.0, Bentley 2:04.8, BMW 2:05.8 Then Mr Wilman asks the trio to drink 3 pints of water, wait 20 mins and then do their laps again. Clarksons pees himself on the 2nd corner. All 3 were slower this time round as compared to the first time. Next, they visit a wine spa in Tbilisi. Then they visit the local flea market to test their boot space. the Aston has the smallest and doesnt have a back seat worth its name either. BMW has the biggest boot. Soon after they cross Georgia and enter Azerbaijan, or Asia. Azerbaijan is the birthplace of oil, which was discovered here in the 3rd century. For a country with a solid oil pedigree, the trio struggle to find a petrol station and must put their cars in cruise modes. Bentley does 30 mpg (its shuts down 6 of its 12 cylinders). The BMW has active grille upfront and shuts other vital features to improve fuel efficiency. Aston has zilch. The whole country runs on Lada cars. The trio stop at the town of Ganja. May decides to prove that in the real world their powerful cars arent any faster than an everyday car. He brings Abbie to drive an old Renault 9 wreck 50 miles to the “Garden of paradise”. The challenge is to overtake Abbie after giving her a 2 mins head start. In the real world, the traffic, lights, and speed limits make all cars go at the same speed. Abbie is first the at finish line, proving Mays point. Next, they visit Azerbaijans vast oil fields, with oil rigs chugging away drilling oil out of the ground. They find a crude oil spa where Clarkson takes dip. The trio sum up their cars. Hammond and May love theirs, but Clarkson doesnt feel that the DBS is worth all the extra money. Baku is the capital of Azerbaijan and hosts a street F1 race. the trio request for the roads to be closed so they can race their cars on the actual track. On a wet track, the Aston spins out of control, but the BMW and Bentley finish neck and neck, with BMW slightly ahead. In attempts, the result is the same. Soon they reach the Caspian sea, 50 feet below sea level and the largest inland body of water in the world. Back at the tent May talks about the lane driving system on the BMW, which keeps you between the white lines on the road. It couldnt be turned off and that meant the even while racing May couldnt get its racing lines straight as the BMWs system kept putting the car back between the lines on the road. Clarkson agrees with Hammond that the Bentley is the best of the trio.
Turkey Grand Tour – Episode 1 | TRT World
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