Google the word trainspotter and Francis Bourgeois is the first name to appear. Now he’s set to become even more famous, with a presenting role on Amazon Prime’s The Grand Tour confirmed.
He’ll host the series alongside fellow influencers James Engelsman and Thomas Holland when it returns later this year, with the trio taking over from Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond.
“The saying ‘big shoes to fill’ spring to mind,” Francis, 25, said as the news was announced. “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.”
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Francis Bourgeois takes over on The Grand Tour
Earlier today (February 5), it was confirmed that the 25 year old would be taking over from Clarkson and co when the Amazon Prime series returns later this year. Clarkson, Hammond and May exited the series at the end of 2024.
The episodes will see the trio cross the Angolan desert in track cars, explore Malaysia’s bright car culture and test America’s latest performance cars in California.
For his part, Francis might just be the perfect signing for the show. He’s a qualified mechanical engineer with experience at Rolls-Royce, with Amazon promising he will bring a “unique, infectious energy to the team” with his “profound technical knowledge and ability to identify a car’s make solely by the sound of its engine”.
James and Thomas will be known to petrol heads for their YouTube car review channel Throttle House, with the pair working together for almost a decade. Speaking about Francis joining the duo, James quipped: “Who knew that all this time, the one ingredient that was missing was a Francis Bourgeois? Let the car adventures commence.”
He also recently received rave reviews for Channel 4’s Mission to Space.
Why did TikTok star Francis Bourgeois change his name?
Born Luke Magnus Nicolson in North London in 2000, Francis is a trainspotter, influencer, model and author. He can now add presenter of The Grand Tour to his CV.
He studied engineering at the University of Nottingham and first became interested in trains and railways when he was just four years old.
After being mocked as a teen over his love of trains, Luke changed his name to Francis Bourgeois when he started filming trainspotting videos for social media. The name Francis was chosen because “he likes France and the way they do trains”, and Bourgeois was inspired by a visit with his father to a sculpture exhibition by Louise Bourgeois.
According to Wikipedia, given the perception among his school peers that trainspotting was uncool, he explained that his pseudonym allowed him to “feel a bit more protected” when making videos. He also said that he feels “Francis Bourgeois” has “a bit more of a ring to it” than his given name.
Francis was catapulted into the public eye back in October 2021 as a fresh-faced 21-year-old trainspotting expert during an appearance on This Morning. He delighted ITV daytime viewers with his passion as he chatted with Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield.
“Francis Bourgeois for Transport Minister,” said one viewer at the time.
Why is Francis Bourgeois famous?
Francis charmed TikTok fans when he resumed his childhood trainspotting hobby during lockdown. He began sharing videos of his outings, and now has 3.3m followers on the social media platform. His YouTube has nearly 200k subscribers, while 2.6m people follow him on Instagram.
One particular video showed the enthusiastic train fan getting so excited about a class 377 locomotive passing him that he fell out of his chair. That clip has racked up nearly 7 million views by itself. Viewers loved how he managed to save his Percy Pigs sweets even as he tumbled out of his chair.
Trains first captivated Francis after he enjoyed trips to Willesden Junction near his family home in north west London with his dad.
He explained: “I was just fixated by these big machines. Ever since, I’ve had a passion for trains, cars, planes.”
Francis owns a 1980s train worker’s uniform which he treasures and sometimes wears in his videos. He is also much-loved for the unique filming angles he uses due to a wide-angle face camera accessory he frequently straps to his head.
Francis added: “I love to show how awesome trains can be as well as trying to make you smile, laugh and just try and bring joy.”
Modelling career
Francis made his runway debut at London Fashion Week in February 2023. He modelled Bay Garnett’s Oxfam Fashion Fighting Poverty collection at an Oxfam GB x eBay show, which aimed to address poverty and promote sustainable fashion.
March 2022 saw Francis appear in Paul Smith’s What Makes You Happy? campaign. Before that, he was part of a team-up between The North Face and Gucci, playing the part of a train conductor in the Swiss Alps in the campaign video.
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Who is The Grand Tour star Francis Bourgeois’ girlfriend?
Francis has been with girlfriend Amy Linkin-Chandler since 2018. They met on a dating site in their late teens and stayed together through their university years. They went red carpet official at the NME Awards in 2022 and, for their fifth anniversary, he took her to Preston Park Station. And they say romance is dead!
These days, they live together in a flat in south-west London.
He told The Times last month: “We’re very emotionally in tune with one another. We are each other’s comfort teddy bears.”
But does she share his love of trains? It appears not, but she is “extremely tolerant” of his love for the locomotives.
“It’s not something that she feels, but she understands why I feel it. She’s extremely tolerant,” he said.
So tolerant, it seems, that she’s happy for a 60ft-long model railway to run through their sitting room, into the kitchen and on into the bedroom.
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So are you a fan of Francis? Will you be watching The Grand Tour? Leave us a comment on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix and let us know.