Jeremy Clarkson became so dehydrated during filming the latest season of The Grand Tour that he ended himself ‘peeing out dust’. Yes, truly.
Following their departure from Top Gear in 2015, the TV presenter has co-hosted the Prime Video driving series with Richard Hammond and James May for eight years.
The trio is now on their last adventure on The Grand Tour, travelling to the African country of Mauritania to face the scorching Sahara desert.
Ahead of the show’s release later this month, Jeremy, 63, discussed the hardships of being in the desert, revealing that, strangely, ‘you don’t become dirty’ there.
‘It’s a very strange thing but sand is incredibly clean. We’ve experienced this in the Atacama and the Gobi and the Nomad and all the places we’ve driven over the years. You don’t get dirty. But it was bloody tough,’ he shared.
‘We drank litres and litres of water, and we didn’t pee. I mean, I don’t know where it was going. Hammond said after three or four days, “I’m going to have a pee” and I suddenly thought, “I haven’t had a pee this whole time.”’
James, 61, stated that when they were finally allowed to empty themselves, it was an unusual feeling.
‘We did go a few days without a proper wee, and I’m someone who likes to urinate freely. I mean, not in my trousers, but I don’t like to hold it in,’ he said.
‘When we did wee it sort of came out as dust.’
Jeremy underlined how hot it was when they were filming, stating that even in the shade, temperatures reached 50 degrees Celsius.
‘You never see the locals during the day, ever. We hardly saw anybody at all but if we did occasionally encounter a small village, it would have maybe six or seven huts and everyone would be inside them all day,’ he recollected.
‘They venture out only after the sun has set because it’s so hot.
‘Camping is always ghastly but when you’re in the middle of the Sahara Desert, you have no alternative. There are no hotels, there are no guest houses or even restaurants or shops. It’s very much the opposite of, say, Luxembourg.’
Richard, 54, on the other hand, was thoroughly enjoying the camping experience, describing himself as ‘such a boy scout’.
‘I’m never happier than when I’m packing my bag and I’m wrapping up my best pen knife and a collapsible stove and a little bag to put things in to keep them dry. I like a sleeping bag and a torch. I love all things to do with camping,’ he stated.
‘Obviously, there are a lot of us to be catered for and we can’t just be let loose into the wild. It’s organised. But there were evenings when it was quieter and things were smaller, and I was in my funny little tent on my car on my own and I’m very, very happy doing that.’
The Grand Tour: Sand Job launches on Friday February 16 on Prime Video.