Can a trainspotter become an Astronaut?

[Ashley Hill]

Is Francis Bourgeois about to be shot into Space? He has a new programme on C4 called Mission To Space where he receives astronaut training. Tonight 18:50 (it’s on now!)

 

[Trackman]

Dear lord, help us all.
Won't be watching that on catch up.

Did he ever want to be a train driver? They could put him through his paces with that on TV prog, and I would watch it.

Failing that, signalling - put him on a signallers course and then let him loose in the Exeter West signal box at Crewe with simulation conditions turned on, much better TV.

 

[Harpo]

We’ve got a cook (Si King) doing a railway programme, and a rail enthusiast doing a space series. Perhaps Tim Peake will replace Pru on Bake Off to complete the sequence?

 

[Ashley Hill]

Francis also presented a program called Britains Railway Empire in Colour which was on before the space program.

 

[bleeder4]

We’ve got a cook (Si King) doing a railway programme, and a rail enthusiast doing a space series. Perhaps Tim Peake will replace Pru on Bake Off to complete the sequence?

Tim Peake was actually in the Francis programme yesterday. He was the first of the space experts that got called in to help. Basically put Francis in a hi-tech spinning gimbal and spun him around until he passed out.

 

[Western Sunset]

Many forget Helen Sharman...

 

[NER1621]

Is Francis Bourgeois about to be shot into Space?

I do hope so.

(Oh, it appears that he’s coming back. Ah well.)

 

[Ashley Hill]

Oh my, totally the wrong thread!

 

[DelW]

There was a bit of railway content in the second episode (as well as Francis's tee shirts). There was a brief clip of him watching a UP freight at a grade crossing, but more significantly, a visit to see Big Boy 4014 at the UP steam shops, and a discussion with Ed Dickens, the head of UP's steam operations.

 

[Beebman]

Francis has been named today as one of the presenters for the new series of 'The Grand Tour' on Amazon Prime:

'Independent' article

The new hosts of The Grand Tour have been announced, with three stars set to replace former presenters, Jeremy Clarkson, James May, and Richard Hammond.

YouTubers Thomas Holland and James Engelsman, best known for their motoring content, as well as social media star and train enthusiast Francis Bourgeois, will front the revamped version of the Prime Video series.

Bourgeois shot to fame for his viral trainspotting videos and is also a qualified mechanical engineer with experience at Rolls-Royce. Holland and Engelsman are the duo behind Throttle House, a popular automotive YouTube channel known for its car reviews and track tests.

Bourgeois said of his appointment: “The saying ‘big shoes to fill’ spring to mind. Well, in this case, it’ll be like Mo Farah running in Size 14 wellies – it’ll be a little awkward at first, perhaps blister-inducing, but will overall be an interesting watch.”

Meanwhile, Engelsman said: "I've worked with Thomas for almost a decade making car films. Who knew that all this time, the one ingredient that was missing was a Francis Bourgeois? Let the car adventures commence.”

Holland joked: “When I first heard they were rebooting The Grand Tour and replacing Clarkson Hammond and May, I said, ‘Only a moron would take that job.’”

Holland, who is originally from Canada and studied biology, founded Throttle House in 2015 “out of boredom”. The channel initially focused on BMW builds and occasional car reviews but started to gain momentum when Engelsman joined in 2018.

Engelsman, who is from the UK, became part of Throttle House after suggesting ideas to Holland and asking to be part of his videos. The duo had their first meeting in person at a gathering of Miata car owners.

Of the new trio, Bourgeois is arguably the most famous, having amassed millions of followers and celebrity fans for his trainspotting videos.

The 24-year-old, real name Luke Nicolson, gained widespread popularity for his infectious videos about trainspotting, which would often go viral on TikTok and Instagram, and even featured cameos from singer Joe Jonas and the Prince and Princess of Wales.

Beyond social media, Bourgeois has ventured into modelling, collaborating with brands like Gucci and The North Face, and has authored a book titled The Trainspotter's Notebook. He also hosted the Channel 4 digital series Trainspotting with Francis Bourgeois, which featured appearances from footballer Jesse Lingard and musicians Sam Ryder and AJ Tracey.

Clarkson, Hammond and May’s on-screen relationship came to an end in September 2024 with what was said to be the final episode of The Grand Tour, dubbed “One for the Road”. They joined the series after leaving Top Gear in 2015.

In July 2024, it was reported that the production company co-owned by the trio – W Chump & Sons – had been dissolved. As part of the company’s dissolution, the trio declared solvency and appointed a liquidator to “wind up” their business.

The company helped produce the show from 2016 to 2024, with The Mirror reporting that Clarkson signed a contract worth £160m with Amazon. It is unknown at this time whether Clarkson, Hammond and May will continue to make an income from any future seasons of the show.

Clarkson is currently enjoying the biggest success of his career with Clarkson’s Farm, a series airing on Amazon’s Prime Video service that documents his attempts to run the 1000-acre farm he purchased in 2008.

Since premiering the show in 2021, Clarkson has extended his business empire by purchasing a Cotswolds pub for £1m – which is the focus of season four of the show.

Speaking to Metro in September 2024, Hammond confirmed that The Grand Tour would be continuing with new hosts, which he said was “amazing” news.

At the time, the TV star admitted that he didn’t know who the new presenters would be but did share some advice with his successors. “If you’re making any show that at its heart has a subject, whether it’s cooking, dancing or cars, the hosts, the primary makers of it, have to have that passion in their heart. And we always did,” said the 54-year-old.

 

[sprinterguy]

Francis has been named today as one of the presenters for the new series of 'The Grand Tour' on Amazon Prime:

'Independent' article

I thought the names (and most of the wording) seemed familiar from last year, and looking into it I found that, yes, this was announced at the end of May 2025 (with informed speculation from 2 months prior to that).

Amazon getting almost as good as the government at announcing previous announcements, there.

 

[Trackman]

I thought the names (and most of the wording) seemed familiar from last year, and looking into it I found that, yes, this was announced at the end of May 2025 (with informed speculation from 2 months prior to that).

Amazon getting almost as good as the government at announcing previous announcements, there.

That was a leak rather than an announcement