James May addresses The Grand Tour's 'very difficult' issue: 'We don’t want to compromise'

Council chiefs in South Ayrshire insist they won't levy extra parking charges on workplaces.

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentUndeterred by the pandemic, the wheels of Switzerland’s film production machine kept on spinning in 2021, churning out the meticulously made multicultural co-productions the country is known for that scored slots at top festivals.Works by young directors such as Elie Grappe, whose coming-of-age drama “Olga” launched at Cannes; Niccolò Castelli’s terrorism-themed “Atlas,” which bowed at Locarno; and also the VR project “Caves” by Carlos Isabel Garcìa, which premiered at Venice; provided a preamble to the exceptionally strong Swiss presence at this year’s Berlinale.Berlin sees a record-breaking two competition slots filled by new works from established Swiss directors, Ursula Meier’s “The Line” and Michael Koch’s “A Piece of Sky,” plus several more Swiss titles in other sections. “In the worst year ever we shot three productions back-to-back during the pandemic; somehow we got used to it,” says Oscar-nominated Max Karli (“My Life as a Zucchini”), who is among the producers of “The Line” via his Geneva-based Bandita Productions, in tandem with Pauline Gygax.In Switzerland, the film and TV industry held firm last year as one of the few sectors where camera crews and actors continued to work, unlike advertising, which shuttered completely for many months.“It was quite hard because we were shooting without insurance pertaining to anything linked to the pandemic,” Karli says, though some government subsidies were made available for physical productions struck by COVID infections.But, as Karli and other Swiss producers point out, Switzerland is a confederation.

John Hopewell Chief International CorrespondentLola Arabia, the United Arab Emirates label of Oscar-winning Spanish producer Andrés Vicente Gómez (“Belle Epoque”), has struck a 12-movie co-production deal with Dubai-based Charisma Group.The alliance will take in a range of titles, from $2 million-budgeted contemporary comedies to banner productions budgeted at $40 million, revolving around contemporary and historic stories of West Asia.The partners aim to produce an average of four films a year, said Charisma Group co-president Ayham Al Ziyoud.Development has begun on the whole slate. “Although in principle we plan projects with modest budgets, these will be increased in the following year once we find the rights partners outside the Gulf States,” Gómez said.

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentAt 81, Italian horror maestro Dario Argento is busier than ever.The director of a string of cult chiller classics starting in the 1970s, including “The Bird With the Crystal Plumage,” “Suspiria” and “Deep Red,” was at Cannes last July with his acting debut in Gaspar Noe’s “Vortex,” about a pair of old lovers. Argento was also celebrated last year with a new book by Italian critic Steve Della Casa and a retro at New York’s Lincoln Center.

Liverpool star Luis Diaz was so good on his Premier League debut against Leicester that he had the BT Sport pundits “drooling” over him, according to Michael Owen.There is a lot of excitement around Diaz, who joined Liverpool in the January transfer window from Porto for an initial fee of £37.5million, which could increase by a further £12.5m.Liverpool fans got a chance to see him for the first time in the 3-1 win over Cardiff City in the FA Cup on the weekend, but the Colombian international made his full debut at Anfield on Thursday night. He didn’t disappoint, putting in an exciting performance on the left side of Jurgen Klopp ’s front three as the hosts ran out 2-0 winners over Leicester.

Coldplay have reacted to BLACKPINK member Rosé‘s recent cover of their 2008 song ‘Viva La Vida’.The K-pop idol shared a new stripped-down, live studio cover of Coldplay’s seminal 2008 track earlier today (February 11) in celebration of her birthday, accompanied by The Black Label producer LØREN on guitar.The British band have since taken notice of her cover, sharing a link to the video on their Instagram Story, while wishing the Korean-Australian singer a happy birthday. “Love this.

BLACKPINK’s Rosé has unveiled three new live studio covers in commemoration of her 25th birthday.The Korean-Australian vocalist surprised fans with three new “live studio” acoustic covers of songs by Coldplay, Neck Deep and Oasis on her personal YouTube channel today (February 11), in celebration of her 25th birthday.The first, which dropped in the early hours of February 11, was a cover of Coldplay’s 2008 hit ‘Viva La Vida’. “I hear Jerusalem bells are ringing / Roman Cavalry choirs are singing / Be my mirror, my sword and shield / My missionaries in a foreign field,” the K-pop idol sings, while reading the lyrics off her phone.It was followed by a truncated version of Neckdeep’s 2015 single ‘December’, as well as a tender and slowed-down rendition of Oasis’ 1995 classic ‘Don’t Look Back In Anger’.

The Grand Tour presenter addressed the situation while discussing his new move during a Q&A on YouTube channel DriveTribe.When quizzed on what viewers can expect from the series, Richard teased: “It’s all kind of under wraps, but it’ll be on later this year. “It is very, very, very, new and fresh.

Jeremy Clarkson, 60, spoke out about Sir Alan Parker’s death on Twitter yesterday after it was revealed the Bugsy Malone, Fame and Midnight Express director had died after suffering from an illness.The Grand Tour star paid tribute to the late star in view of his 7.2 million followers.He wrote: “Alan Parker was a truly brilliant director.So versatile.“I mean Bugsy Malone and Mississippi Burning.Same man. Incredible.”Many of Jeremy’s fans also flocked to his post to comment.One user wrote: “In my opinion Midnight Express was his finest flick, absolutely superbly directed.”READ MORE: How did Midnight Express and Evita director Sir Alan Parker die?“Perhaps my all time favourite director.

Top Gear alongside Jeremy Clarkson, 60, and James May, 57, in 2002, the presenter has revealed he was left feeling "quite sad" after his initial audition.The Grand Tour star went into detail about the interview process, recalling the time he met the bosses and Jeremy himself.Richard has opened up about what he was asked to do to audition for the BBC motoring programme in a new interview with DriveTribe.After the TV host was asked how he landed his presenting role 18 years ago, he divulged: "I met Jeremy and Richard Porter [writer and script editor for BBC's Top Gear] and Andy Wilman [former executive producer] and I had to do a piece with Jeremy and a piece to camera about a car."And I went home quite sad because I thought that show is

Jake Kanter International TV EditorEXCLUSIVE: Amazon has confirmed what we first revealed last month — that The Grand Tour star James May is swapping his spanner for a spatula in a cooking show for the streamer.Amazon has commissioned Plum Pictures and May’s New Entity to make the seven-part series, which will provide a unique perspective on kitchen creations from someone who can’t really cook.Based on his upcoming book, Oh Cook!: 60 Easy Recipes That Any Idiot Can Make, the show will see May making pasta, curry and cake recipes, with each episode featuring three dishes.The show is titled James May: Oh Cook in reference to his “oh cock!” catchphrase when things go wrong on The Grand Tour.

Top Gear host Chris Harris 45, is no stranger to saying what he thinks on Twitter and last week was no different when he reacted to James May’s admission that he was wearing no trousers ahead of his interview on Good Morning Britain last week. In view of his 3.1 million followers, the car enthusiast tweeted: “I’m appearing on Good Morning Britain in half an hour which is odd, because I’m sitting at home and I don’t have any trousers on.”Chris replied to James’ post, writing: “Gives the interviewer the option of speaking to either James or Little James.”Many Twitter users immediately flocked to the post to share their thoughts on Chris’ flippant remark.One user wrote: “Excellent lead in and follow up.”Jeremy Clarkson angers fans by calling

Jeremy Clarkson, who is also a host on The Grand Tour and a former presenter of Top Gear, made a dig on ITV's Who Wants To Be A Millionaire.The 60-year-old wasn't impressed when one phone-a-friend lifeline proved to be a disappointment.It comes after contestant and financial investigator Steve managed to make it to £64,000, but he needed just one right answer to cash in on a staggering £125,000.Jeremy branded the Who Wants to Be a Millionaire phone-a-friend call "irritating" on last night's episode, amid rising angst in the ITV studios.The question posed to Steve read: "Which planet was discovered by astronomer William Herschel in 1781?"The four possible answers were Uranus, Neptune, Saturn and Venus.However, Steve was unsure of the correct

The Grand Tour presenter Richard Hammond, 50, has revealed he tends to hesitate when quizzed on whether he has had any recent accidents by car insurance companies.The car enthusiast admitted his “CV does not read well” after he was involved in two near-death crashes.Back in 2006, while hosting Top Gear alongside Jeremy Clarkson and James May, Richard had a 288mph crash in a jet-powered car when one of its tyres failed, which caused him to roll several times.The star suffered a “significant brain injury” as a result and the ninth series of the BBC show was postponed to allow him time to recover from the shock accident.11 years later in 2017, Richard was airlifted to hospital after he lost control of a £2million Rimac Concept One supercar in

The 50-year-old motor head was involved in a 288 mph car crash back in 2006 while filming scenes of Top Gear on the BBC. He had been at the wheel of a Vampire dragster which is capable of up to 370 mph speeds – and his car flipped and rolled multiple times when a tire blew while he was travelling at high speed.Richard was left in a coma for two weeks and with brain injuries by the crash and the release of the ninth series of the show was delayed while he recovered from his injuries.

The Grand Tour presenter Richard Hammond has some major issues getting insurance due to his past of near-fatal car crashes.

The Grand Tour host James May, 57, has admitted his “hairy” filming experience with Jeremy Clarkson, 60, and Richard Hammond, 50, in the programme’s previous series was “stupid, on reflection”.The presenters captivated Amazon Prime viewers with The Grand Tour Presents: Seamen last year, which saw the trio travel across Cambodia and Vietnam in boats while struggling to navigate the Mekong Delta waterway.The series left fans wanting more and James, Richard and Jeremy managed to film another special towards the end of 2019 before the coronavirus lockdown, which is set to arrive later this year.However, James has now revealed his issue with the show while reflecting on their journey to the East African country.He explained: “It wasn’t as hairy

The Grand Tour star Richard Hammond, 50, has opened up about wanting to work alongside one of his favourite Top Gear companions for a "new show", as he said he, Jeremy Clarkson, 60, and James May, 57, discussed it together recently.The BBC favourite went into detail about his plans, and where it would be likely to "take him".Richard has opened up about the plans he has for one of his most beloved vehicles, his Opel Kadett, which he calls, Oliver.The presenter first fell in love with his Opel during the Top Gear special episode in Botswana.Now, in a new interview with Drive Tribe, Richard was asked whether he has any plans for Oliver in the near future, and he revealed: "I'm often asked if I have plans for Oliver."I mean, I still have him,

The Grand Tour and Top Gear with Jeremy Clarkson, 60, and Richard Hammond, 50, has revealed why filming for his new cookery show, Our Man In Japan, will be postponed for a "long time" as he explained: "We can't go anywhere." The TV presenter opened up about his new venture with Amazon on The Chris Evans Breakfast Show yesterday.James joined Virgin Radio presenter Chris Evans for a chat to discuss what he and his co-star, Jeremy, have been getting up to during lockdown, after filming was put on hold for The Grand Tour.Chris began: "Jeremy, he's filming this farming documentary...," which he replied with: "Yes, but he's been doing that for ages."I suppose farming takes a whole year," he continued."I don't know very much about farming, I'll be

The Grand Tour and Top Gear with Jeremy Clarkson, 60, and James May, 67, looked back on the time he and his family were "stopped" by another family at Heathrow airport.The BBC favourite revealed "they wouldn't have it" after his eldest daughter was approached in the airport lounge.In a new video with DriveTribe, Richard, who has been mistaken for Robert Downey Jr in the past, looked back on the time one fan approached his daughter to ask whether he was the American actor.The BBC presenter divulged: "We were stopped at Heathrow airport when I was travelling with my family and my eldest daughter was walking off to the loo, and she passed this family, and the mother said: 'Oh, oh, is he Robert Downey, Jr?'"And she said, 'No.' And she said,

THE Grand Tour has taken James May to Cambodia, Madagascar and many other exotic locations. But thanks to Covid-19, the furthest the show will be going in the near future is Scotland — and he says having a break from his co-hosts in the meantime has been a godsend.