Unscripted is the seventeenth episode of The Grand Tour, and the fourth episode of Series 2. It was released on Amazon Prime on 29th December, 2017.
Synopsis[]
Film[]
In the past, The Grand Tour was criticised for being too Scripted, so the trio agree to make a completely unplanned film with no scouts, no pre-scripted exchanges, no knowledge of the type of challenge and no set up explosions, with the only agreement be that the film in Croatia.
At Zadar's Sea Organ, the presenters meet with a problem. Clarkson turns up in an Audi TT RS, Hammond brings the not at all comparable Ariel Nomad whilst May purchases an old Lada Riva, for under £2000, which he attempts to convert into a Fire Engine, despite his two colleagues stating that tit would be impossible. After a selfie from a fan, the Trio agree to go in separate directions.
As Clarkson enjoys an open road in his TT, while struggling to think of words to describe the car, he is interrupted by Hammond in the Nomad, who consistently makes air hostess jokes, due to the TT's image. Eventually Clarkson gets fed up and the two undergo a small race, which quickly ends due to the road ending. They agree to compare the TT to the Nomad, by firstly having a drag race.
Meanwhile May who'd found a workshop, begins converting his Lada into a Fire Engine, with the help of some Locals.
Hammond and Clarkson have trouble having their drag race due to the high volume of Paparazzis, until eventually they head to an Airport, as suggested by Hammond. However, Clarkson finds out, that due to the team not booking the venue, in advance, they are not allowed on the airstrip. The duo eventually find an abandoned runway to stage their drag race. However, due to them not having a starter, a traffic light the TT having Launch Control, the Nomad having no storage and half their film crew busy with May, they agree to halt proceedings and find a starter.
Elsewhere, May eventually finishes constructing his Fire Lada, and after explaining the tools, he attempts to find a fire to put out.
A woman named Sylvia is found, but proves to be too distracting for Clarkson and Hammond. They therefore agree for her to be the finishing line while a sound recordist, takes the place of the starter. Further problems arise, as upon starting the race, Hammond breaks the Nomad's clutch, and due to spare parts being required, Clarkson takes Sylvia for a spin in the TT.
Meanwhile, after having no success in searching for a fire, May is forced to set a bin on fire and put it out.
Eventually, the Nomad is repaired and finally, Hammond and Clarkson stage their drag race. Despite both having a good start, the TT surges into the lead, and wins.
The next morning, after the drag race, Clarkson and Hammond agree for their second comparison to be a race at a rally stage. However due to their lack of script the duo once again have to find a location.
Meanwhile May's Fire Lada puts out further small fires including some locals barbecue. The trio regroup at a waterfall where May tries claim victory due to him succeeding with most of the points but his colleagues point out, irritably that they are not taking part in his Fire Engine Challenge, with Clarkson throwing the chart board into the lake.
Hammond and Clarkson eventually find their rally stage, with Sylvia being the timer. Despite the Nomad's off-road pedigree, due to the TT having AWD and more power, Clarkson wins by two seconds, annoying Hammond. The duo then get a call from May who states that they should meet him for a demonstration on his fire engine. They set off concluding their part by stating that they fell in love with their cars with Clarkson gaining overall victory. They're rally times times are:
| Place | Car (Driver) | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Audi TT RS (Clarkson) | 2:03.7 |
| 2nd | Ariel Nomad (Hammond) | 2:05.7 |
Clarkson and Hammond discover May setting up a fire near the road, and accuse him cheating, to which the latter orders them to set up his Bush Fire. They agree and set up the fire in the middle of nowhere, however due to May living up to his Captain Slow title, the Bush Fire grows to immense size. This proves too difficult for May's fire engine, who eventually runs out of all his supplies. This results in the Croatian Fire Brigade to turn in their fire plane, which not only puts out the fire but destroys the Fire Lada in the process.
Back at the Tent, Clarkson claims overall victory for the TT, due to it beating the Nomad and states that May lost as the real Fire Brigade had to assist him.
Track Test[]
Hammond makes his second visit to the Eboladrome for a test of the brand new McLaren 720S. He praises the Car's speed, handling, styling, comfort, drift ability and technology concluding that it's Utterly Brilliant. Back in the tent Clarkson disputes these claims and after Eaton, sets a time of 1:17.9 around the Eboladrome, the 3rd fastest at the time, Clarkson points out that the 720S is no faster than outgoing 650S.
Conversation Street[]
Sting: Hammond plays a Trombone while his colleagues look irritated.
In a special edition of Conversation Street, the presenters host the Nigel Awards. The awards were as follows:
| Award | Nominees | Winner |
|---|---|---|
| "Nissan Juke Worst Car of the Year" | Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, Mini Countryman, Renault Kadjar | Nissan Juke |
| "Hard Ass to Follow" | Honda Civic Type R, Toyota C-HR | Land Rover Discovery |
| "You Would But You Know You Shouldn't" | N/A | Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 |
| "Lack of Continuity" | James May's Haircut | Richard Hammond Swapping Cars |
| "Accidentally Filling Up the Petrol Tank of a Supercar with Water" | N/A | Richard Hammond |
Celebrity Face Off[]
This week, British classical singers Alfie Boe and Michael Ball in a battle of the "Fastest Classical Singer in the world who has a connection to the British Motor Industry" with Ball triumphing on the Damp Track with a time of 1:23.3 over Boe's 1:24.4.