W Chump and Sons Limited, the production company set up by Jeremy Clarkson and his Grand Tour colleagues when they moved to Amazon in 2015, is close to being formally dissolved after the bulk of its assets were distributed to shareholders.
Final payouts and administrative wrap-up
New documents filed at Companies House covering the period to April 2026 indicate the liquidation — which began in 2024 — has moved into its final administrative phase. The latest filing records a final cash distribution of £4,373.44, equivalent to about 4p in the £, and notes a fixed liquidators’ fee of £10,000 plus VAT approved by the board of directors.
The company was established as the production vehicle for the motoring series when Clarkson and his co-presenters James May and Richard Hammond left the BBC for Amazon in 2015. The business’s name is a play on the initials of the principal figures — Wilman, Clarkson, Hammond and May — incorporating the German conjunction “und”.
"und"
What the numbers mean for shareholders and creditors
Files show that the liquidation has no outstanding creditor claims and that the company’s assets — reported in earlier filings at roughly £24 million — have largely been distributed to shareholders. With liabilities settled and only administrative tasks remaining, the liquidators appear to be preparing to close the company formally.
For the shareholders — the three presenters and their long-time executive producer Andy Wilman — the distribution process has meant a meaningful return from the vehicle that managed receipts and rights linked to the Grand Tour era. The most recent tranche, however, is a tiny fraction of the previously reported asset pool, reflecting that most value has already been realised and paid out.
Implications for the principals and wider media sector
Clarkson, aged 66, and his colleagues will now continue with their separate ventures. The filings note Clarkson’s focus on his other business interests, including Diddly Squat farm and its farm shop, and The Farmer’s Dog roadside enterprise on the A40 near Burford. The completion of W Chump and Sons’ liquidation simply removes one corporate entity from a portfolio that includes live events, publishing and branded retail operations.
For the television sector, the winding up of small production vehicles formed around talent and intellectual property is not unusual once a show ends and rights are reallocated or sold. What matters for workers and suppliers is whether remaining obligations — payments to freelancers, residuals and other contingent liabilities — have been fully discharged. The Companies House entries for W Chump and Sons state there are no creditor claims outstanding.
- Company formed: 2015 to produce The Grand Tour
- Liquidation started: 2024
- Reported asset pool (earlier filings): ~£24 million
- Latest cash distribution: £4,373.44 (about 4p in the £)
- Liquidators’ fee approved: £10,000 plus VAT
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Previously reported assets | ~£24,000,000 |
| Latest cash distribution | £4,373.44 |
| Liquidators' fixed fee | £10,000 + VAT |
The filings do not disclose the detailed breakdown of earlier distributions, so it is not possible to say how much each director has already received from the earlier realisations. What is clear, however, is that the vessel that carried the Grand Tour revenues is being dismantled once the final formalities are complete.
For ordinary workers and contractors who contributed to the shows, this case underlines the importance of clear contracting and timely settlement of pay and arrears when production companies are wound down. For the principal shareholders, it is the last step in converting the commercial value embedded in a long-running on-screen property into cash that can be redeployed elsewhere.
As the formal closure approaches, Companies House will publish the final notice when the liquidation is closed, at which point W Chump and Sons will cease to exist as a trading entity.
