Petrolblog’s 15 milliseconds of fame on The Grand Tour
Christmas television has a habit of blurring into a loop of old favourites, and this year is no different. Somewhere between Amazon boxes landing on doorsteps and peeling the sprouts, a lot of people seem to be rewatching The Grand Tour – specifically the final episode, One for the Road.
What ‘trending’ means in Prime Video terms is anyone’s guess, but it does suggest a festive spike in eyeballs. And, as it turns out, a small number of those eyeballs may also have glanced – unknowingly – at Petrolblog.
About 50 minutes into the episode, during a bit of chat about Richard Grant Accessories, Jeremy Clarkson pulls out his iPhone to show Richard Hammond an advert for Spoilers by Richard Grant. It’s a quick, throwaway moment. Blink and you’ll miss it. Which is appropriate, because what’s on Clarkson’s screen is a Google Images result, and the main image just happens to be from a Petrolblog post first published in September 2014.
That article, for the record, is about Richard Grant spoilers. Not metaphorical ones. Actual plastic, bolt-on, very period spoilers. I updated it in September 2024 after noticing that, at precisely 51 minutes and 13 seconds, Petrolblog makes what might be its briefest ever on-screen appearance.
Sadly – and inevitably – Amazon blocks screenshots, so you’ll have to take my word for it. Or pause, rewind, squint, and mutter “hang on…” like a proper internet pedant. The search term ‘richard grant accessories’ is visible on Clarkson's phone. The image is there. Petrolblog is, fleetingly, part of the final ever episode of The Grand Tour, filmed in Zimbabwe.
This is not a cameo. It’s not even a footnote. It’s more like a reflection in a door mirror that disappears as soon as you notice it. Roughly 15 milliseconds of fame, followed by a small but noticeable spike in traffic, which suggests that some people decided to follow Clarkson's lead.
So yes, I’ll quietly raise a glass of whatever beer they drink in Zimbabwe to Clarkson for the smallest of plugs. Forget 15 minutes of fame; this was barely long enough to blink. But for this proudly niche, bijou and independent blog run, it feels entirely on brand.
And with that, it's time to close the laptop until the New Year. Have a great Christmas.
Photo: Amazon Studios press image from The Grand Tour: One for the Road.
