Why George Harrison's 'My Sweet Lord' was the perfect ending music for The Grand Tour

2 October 2024, 12:05 | Updated: 2 October 2024, 12:14

Farewell to Clarkson, Hammond and May.

First with Top Gear and then The Grand Tour, Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May worked together for a massive 22 years.

They bade farewell to viewers last month with The Grand Tour special One for The Road, which saw the trio travel across Zimbabwe in a car they always wanted to own.

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That meant May driving a Triumph Stag, Hammond a Ford Capri GXL and Clarkson a Lancia Montecarlo as they travelled from the Eastern Highlands and through Harare, ending up in Kandalunga.

They then trekked the Makgadikgadi Pan, finishing on Kubu Island.

The final scenes were pretty emotional, and a big part of that wasn't just the emotional flashback to their Top Gear: Botswana Special in 2007, but the remarkable use of music in the final moments.

The Grand Tour: One For The Road | Ending Scene

"It just remains for me to say, thank you very, very much for watching," Clarkson said to a backdrop of Dire Straits' 'Brothers In Arms'.

"Thank you. It means a lot."

As the three men looked out onto the stunning landscape, Clarkson unplugged his microphone hand all three men shook hands, before the camera zoomed out for the crew to give and take the applause.

At that moment, George Harrison's 'My Sweet Lord' kicked in, taking the feelings up another level. We then saw footage of the three hosts driving off, splitting into different directions.

The use of the hit single, taken from Harrison's triple All Things Must Pass album, felt similar to the equally perfect use of Crosby, Stills and Nash's 'Our House' to close out Only Fools and Horses in 1996 (we'll pretend those last three specials never happened).

The lines "I really want to see you" as the trio drove off added another element of sadness. As much as they like to bicker constantly, they'll no doubt miss their adventures on-screen. (Although James May made a point to delete them from his phone as soon as the show ended!).

George Harrison - My Sweet Lord

After that final scene, we got a coda of the end credits, packed with reverb-laden audio sound clips from across the Clarkson-Hammond-May years and behind-the-scenes photos of the crew.

As well as the fast cars and escapades of its three presenters, The Grand Tour became known for its use of existing songs over its 46 episodes, including the likes of Joy Division, Dusty Springfield and America, among others.

Some fans have even gone as far as making comprehensive playlists of every song on the show.