‘I feel bad’ admits Richard Hammond as he shares deep regret at how he treated Grand Tour co-star James May
AFTER years of working alongside James May on set, Richard Hammond has revealed one regret he has related to his co-star.
The pair have been making appearances on The Grand Tour and Top Gear together for over two decades.
While speaking on podcast Who We Are Now, Richard admitted he hasn’t always been sensitive about a condition James suffers from.
The mechanic and show host told therapist Josh Fletcher that he sometimes ‘made light’ of his co-star’s OCD.
Richard reflected: “I’m thinking back to, you know, days on those TV shows that I’ve done with my dear colleagues, Top Gear and Grand Tour, and James…
“We used to… and I’m feeling bad about it talking to you now, Josh, because I’m thinking, ‘Wait a minute – we were part of that’ – making light of what is, for some people, a really, really serious condition. We used to hit James with it all the time.
“If you stand next to James and this watch that I’m wearing has a bezel on it; you know, a bit around the edge. If I put it so it doesn’t line up straight…
“He and I used to sit – we had a lot of time to sit in cars being bored.
“And I deliberately set it like that. The only thing is I’ve set it out of kilter now, and it’s slightly annoying me, but I can then straighten it up and I’m happy.”
OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) is a mental health condition which causes unwanted thoughts and compulsive behaviours.
James May previously addressed the flippant way many people speak about the disorder when speaking about the reason why he always carries nail clippers around with him.
He told Virgin Radio: “On my bunch of keys [I’ve got] a miniature set of nail clippers.
“Some people are going to say immediately, ‘you’ve got OCD because you carry nail clippers around with you’.
“Now, OCD is a genuine and serious condition. It’s not a cheap insult to be levelled at people having to like doing things properly.
“I don’t like having long or broken fingernails. But apart from that you’d be surprised how useful these are.”
James May's career to date
TV presenter and journalist James May has enjoyed a long on-screen career, with a main focus on motoring. Here is a look at some of his biggest projects.
- Top Gear (1999): James was a briefly a host on the original 1977 to 2001 iteration of the popular motoring show. The likes of Angela Rippon, Andy Wilman, Noel Edmonds, Kate Humble and Jeremy Clarkson were also presenters at various points.
- Top Gear (Revived series, 2003-2015): After Jason Dawe departed following series one of the revival, James boarded the revived Top Gear in 2003. He starred alongside Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and The Stig until 2015, when the main trio left the programme.
- Oz and James’s Big Wine Adventure (2006-2007): This show featured wine expert Oz Clarke attempting to educate James about wine while undertaking a road trip. The programme lasted two series. A sequel titled Oz and James Drink to Britain aired in 2009.
- James May’s Toy Stories (2009 to 2014): This programme featured well-known toys from the past being brought into the modern era through a complex, large-scale project involving the nature of the toy. James created, co-wrote, presented and narrated the show.
- The Grand Tour (2016 to 2024): Conceived following James and his co-stars leaving Top Gear, The Grand Tour launched on Amazon Prime Video in 2016. The trio were joined by producer Andy Wilman, who also made the move.
- James May: Our Man in… (2020-present): A travel documentary series for Amazon Prime Video, which has seen James visit Japan, Italy and India so far.
- James May: Oh Cook! (2020 – present): As the title suggests, this is a cooking programme hosted by James and it is released via Amazon Prime Video. The programme features the presenter trying to cook a variety of different dishes, with each episode focusing on a cuisine.