Was Jeremy Clarkson's £160m new Amazon show a Grand success? See the public reaction

Well Jeremy Clarkson just ran over Top Gear with a 4x4 Monster Truck and left them quivering in the dust. Poor Matt LeBlanc is still wiping the gritty sand away from his eyes.

The Grand Tour commenced late last night (17 November), and much like the new exorbitant Netflix series The Crown, its £160m investment most definitely paid off. The reaction has been overwhelmingly good; cue Clarkson's inflating head.

Behind the wheel was a rather shabby-looking Clarkson, 56, and his long-time cronies, James May and Richard Hammond. They presented their loyal and patient fans with what they've been waiting for since the parallel universe of Top Gear ended as they knew it with one punch in a producer's face over some hot food.

Clarkson and co – showing Chris Evans' exactly how it's done – opened up the show by arriving in Ford Mustangs that were accompanied by an orchestra of cars, bikes and fighter jets. It was a sweet sound for Clarksy-enthusiasts. And a big bang of an introduction was expected, seeing as Amazon have lavished a reputed £4.5m on each of the 36 planned instalments – to be aired over three seasons. Alas, the giant, sarcastic curmudgeon has redeemed his television career that has been hanging by a thread since 2015.

The show has received glittering reviews so far from multiple publications from The Guardian to The Sun, and most importantly, the viewing public.

People expressed their thoughts on the new series in their masses on social media-sharing site Twitter, where the hashtag #TheGrandTour has its own emoji of three old men with greying hair. Sounds familiar...

One user wrote: "Amazon bosses must be feeling so so so smug this morning!" as another put: "If you loved the old top gear you will love #TheGrandTour".

Many compared it to rival show Top Gear, with another adding: "was awesome! Smashed that other car show. Well done boys & @AmazonVideo. Can't wait for episode 2."

Someone else wrote: "The first 4mins 55secs of @thegrandtour was better than any of the last series of..er...Top...G..or...something from the #BBC #Awesome", as another put: "As was to be expected the first episode of #TheGrandTour was better than the new season of Top Gear...the boys are finally back!"

Clarkson showcased his confidence in his new show earlier this year, previously stating: "I think programme one will be all right. I'd be extremely surprised if that was poorly reviewed."