If you go to Wikipedia and look up a list of French philosophers, itвЂ™s basically everyone in France. We printed off a list of French philosophers. Particularly in the restaurant where we talk about French philosophers, which is one of the most incredible things ever. ItвЂ™s got that studio feel about it, in the sense that youвЂ™re having a sensible discussion. There are moments of us three being as you would expect, but thereвЂ™s a serious point to be made. People said they liked it when weвЂ™ve been a bit more sensible, and thatвЂ™s what this is. James and I have looked at cars that are made by the communist bloc. James did one on Ford versus Ferrari, which was also very popular. ItвЂ™s very much like items weвЂ™ve done in the past, like the one I did on Lancia versus Audiand it was very popular. This is not like anything people have seen before from us, not as a special. What were your preconceptions going into it? Did you think you would hate driving these French cars? Why have I never had a French car? Why has Hammond never had a French car? He famously said, вЂњFrance is only there so we can drive to Italy more easily.вЂќ So thatвЂ™s the strangeness of it. In fact, some of us think he might be French. Neither had May until very recently, but James is odd. In all the years IвЂ™ve been driving, which is 45 years, IвЂ™ve never owned a French car, and neither has Hammond. But the strange thing is that neither Richard Hammond nor I вЂ“ and weвЂ™ve owned Italian cars, Japanese cars, American cars, British cars, Swedish cars, German cars, obviously вЂ“ have ever owned a French car. Oh, itвЂ™s not that theyвЂ™re not interested in cars, they are. ThereвЂ™s an interesting dichotomy there, isnвЂ™t there? Even today, if you tell them theyвЂ™ve got to make an ordinary, straightforward hatchback that will sell to millions of people all over the world, theyвЂ™ll put the steering wheel under the dashboard or do something which is unconventional.ДЄs you say in the special, they also pretty much invented motor sports and are very good at it. French cars are, and have always been, odd. They have different rules, they have different regulations, and this is evident in their cars. And yet, the French, they donвЂ™t think like us вЂ“ and when I say вЂњusвЂќ, I mean the whole rest of the world. It doesnвЂ™t matter where you are in the world, there are reference points for all of us. Everything is the same, everybody eats at McDonaldвЂ™s, everybody has an iPhone. We tried to look at the quirkiness of French cars, really. ItвЂ™s very rare for us to say, вЂњWeвЂ™ve got a question to answer.вЂќ And itвЂ™s an interesting question. ItвЂ™s more a documentary, if you will, than an adventure story.

Well, yes, we didnвЂ™t go anywhere, and there was no route. This film is very different from Lochdown, the last special, isnвЂ™t it? ItвЂ™s not surprising, given that they are certainly different in many, many, many ways, that their cars are expressions of that. TheyвЂ™re different, arenвЂ™t they, the French, and thatвЂ™s why itвЂ™s a great stepping-off point for the show. ItвЂ™s a long way from us socially, and attitudinally. So it always seemed exotic to me, even though itвЂ™s closer than some towns and cities in Britain are to where we lived. I remember as a 10-year-old or 12-year-old, getting on the ferry, and thinking how they speak funny, and theyвЂ™ve got funny money, and itвЂ™s amazing. Well, theyвЂ™re very close, arenвЂ™t they? France was the first place that the Hammond family, 100 years ago, went on holiday abroad. I admire the way that they donвЂ™t accept government edicts, and they burn the speed cameras. I love French wine, French food, and the French way of life. Paris is a bit weird, but thereвЂ™s so many absolutely fantastic places all over the country. And all of it, from the south and southwest, the Dordogne I went to most recently, Brittany, itвЂ™s all paradise. So I very much enjoy France вЂ“ always have. IвЂ™ve been stopped a couple of times by the French police, and you plead and beg, and they just shrug at you. The French shrug is something I admire very much when they canвЂ™t be bothered to help you.

The grand tour jeremy clarkson