The former Grand Tour and Top Gear host James May has hit out at critics of the new series launch on social media.
Mr May is one of the original presenters of the hit Amazon Prime motoring series.
He presented the show alongside his Top Gear pals Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond since the show launched in November 2016, after the trio left the iconic BBC hit series.
One For the Road, the final Grand Tour series featuring the famous three, was released in September 2024.
The new presenting line-up, Thomas Holland, James Engelsman and Francis Bourgeois, replaced them in the first new season, which launched just days ago.
Nicknamed 'Captain Slow', Mr May who runs the Royal Oak pub in Swallowcliffe in Wiltshire, took to X, formerly known as Twitter, calling out critics who have dissed the show since its return.
A Clarkson's Farm fan account compared the TikTok train star to Mr May.
They said: "Francis Bourgeois is the new James May on TGT...😂."
Mr May didn't seem to take the criticism fondly, responding: "For God's sake, give the block a chance."
He did circle back eventually, though, when one commenter argued the social media trainspotter, whose real name is Luke Magnus Nicolson, is better.
They said: "He is better than James May... and a lot taller."
Mr May seemed to take this on the chin, joking Mr Bourgeois, reportedly 6ft 3in, is "very tall", gaining three inches on Captain Slow.
In a follow-up tweet, the fan account seemed to backtrack, describing Jason Dawe's replacement in series two as "the pedant with the soul of an engineer".
"When they finally signed off from The Grand Tour, it really did feel like the end of something that television no longer quite knows how to make", they said.
Reflecting on their Top Gear time, they said: "Their arguments weren't bits. They felt like three mate who actually liked each other and enjoyed winding each other up. The show became a sitcom that happened to have supercars in it."
When Mr Clarkson, Mr May and Mr Hammond were on the BBC show, figures reached astronomical heights, pulling in around 350 million people over the life of the show.
The critic added: "The impact wasn't just ratings. It was companionship.
"The friendship on screen - real enough that it survived crashes, controversies, a BBC firing and a move to Amazon - made the show feel like hanging out with people you knew."
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