# James May
**James May** (born 1963) is an English television presenter, journalist, and author best known as a co-presenter, with [Jeremy Clarkson](https://www.edgepedia.org/jeremy-clarkson) and [Richard Hammond](https://www.edgepedia.org/richard-hammond), of BBC's *[Top Gear](https://www.edgepedia.org/top-gear-2002-tv-series)* from 2003 to 2015 and of Amazon Prime Video's *The Grand Tour* from 2016 to 2024[1](https://topgear.fandom.com/wiki/James_May) • [2](https://www.theguardian.com/media/2016/mar/27/james-may-chris-evans-top-gear-amazon). His deliberate, methodical on-screen style earned him the nickname "Captain Slow"[1](https://topgear.fandom.com/wiki/James_May). Beyond motoring television, he has written regularly for the British press, fronted science and travel series, and run a cooking show built around his own admitted lack of kitchen skill[3](https://press.aboutamazon.com/uk/2020/7/amazon-prime-video-confirms-james-may-oh-cook-a-short-sweet-and-savoury-cookery-series-brought-to-you-by-the-grand-tours-james-may).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | Bristol, 1963; educated at Oakwood Comprehensive School in Rotherham and Lancaster University (music)[1](https://topgear.fandom.com/wiki/James_May) • [2](https://www.theguardian.com/media/2016/mar/27/james-may-chris-evans-top-gear-amazon) |
| Early career | Sub-editor for *The Engineer* (1989) and *Autocar* magazines in the 1980s; later sacked from *Autocar*[1](https://topgear.fandom.com/wiki/James_May) • [4](https://lora-stack.trigger.systems/read/james-mays-first-journalism-job-in-the-1980s-explained-1bqxmbp) |
| *Top Gear* | First presented in 1999 on the early incarnation; rejoined in 2003 for the second series of the Clarkson-led reboot; nickname "Captain Slow"[2](https://www.theguardian.com/media/2016/mar/27/james-may-chris-evans-top-gear-amazon) • [1](https://topgear.fandom.com/wiki/James_May) |
| Reach | *Top Gear* was watched by about 350 million viewers worldwide at the height of the trio's tenure[5](https://time.com/3923993/new-top-gear-host-chris-evans/) |
| Departure | Declined to renew his BBC contract in 2015 after Clarkson's dismissal, saying a show with a surrogate Clarkson would be "lame"[6](https://time.com/3832996/james-may-top-gear-clarkson-return/) |
| *The Grand Tour* | Signed with Amazon in 2015; the series ran from 2016 and ended in 2024[1](https://topgear.fandom.com/wiki/James_May) |
| Notable expeditions | Reached the North Pole in a modified Toyota Hilux; among the first people to drive across the Makgadikgadi salt pans in Botswana[1](https://topgear.fandom.com/wiki/James_May) |
## Journalism
May moved from engineering studies into media as a sub-editor for *The Engineer* in 1989, and worked for *Autocar* thereafter[4](https://lora-stack.trigger.systems/read/james-mays-first-journalism-job-in-the-1980s-explained-1bqxmbp) • [1](https://topgear.fandom.com/wiki/James_May). His most famous piece of print work was never intended to be read as written. At the end of 1992, compiling *Autocar*'s annual "Road Test Yearbook" supplement, he rewrote the first sentence of each of the car reviews so that the initial letters of the dropped capitals spelled out a hidden insult to the magazine's readers, and the stunt led to his dismissal from *Autocar*[1](https://topgear.fandom.com/wiki/James_May). He later wrote a regular column called "England Made Me" for *Car* magazine, from which he was also fired, and a weekly column in *The Daily Telegraph*[1](https://topgear.fandom.com/wiki/James_May).
His published books collect and extend this journalism: *May on Motors* (April 2006) is a compilation of his articles and columns; *Notes From The Hard Shoulder* followed on 26 April 2007; and *James May's 20th Century*, an accompaniment to the television series of the same name, was published on 6 September 2007[7](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/james-may/bio/3000135227/) • [1](https://topgear.fandom.com/wiki/James_May). He also wrote the afterword to *Long Lane with Turnings*, the final book by motoring writer L.J.K. Setright, published in September 2006[1](https://topgear.fandom.com/wiki/James_May).
## Top Gear
May was first considered for *Top Gear* in the early 1990s, when producer Jon Bentley shot a screen-test with him in a Caterham, but his superiors judged him too similar to Clarkson, a "posh sounding young bloke"[1](https://topgear.fandom.com/wiki/James_May). He eventually joined the program in 1999 for its 41st series, presenting alongside [Julia Bradbury](https://www.edgepedia.org/julia-bradbury), and was replaced from Series 42 onwards before returning as a writer for *Top Gear Magazine* from 2000 to 2002[1](https://topgear.fandom.com/wiki/James_May).
**The rebooted era.** When the BBC relaunched *Top Gear* in 2002 with Clarkson as main presenter, May joined from the second series in 2003, replacing [Jason Dawe](https://www.edgepedia.org/jason-dawe-presenter) and forming the trio with Clarkson and Richard Hammond that defined the program's global success[2](https://www.theguardian.com/media/2016/mar/27/james-may-chris-evans-top-gear-amazon) • [8](https://sure.sunderland.ac.uk/id/eprint/6668/8/Top%2520Gear%2520and%2520Anti-environmentalism%2520AS%2520Jan16.pdf). By this period the show was watched by roughly 350 million viewers worldwide[5](https://time.com/3923993/new-top-gear-host-chris-evans/). On-screen, May earned the nickname "Captain Slow" for his careful driving style, and his catchphrase "Oh, cock!" entered popular use[1](https://topgear.fandom.com/wiki/James_May). Memorable segments included the 2007 Polar Special race between the three presenters[9](https://downloads.bbc.co.uk/bbctrust/assets/files/pdf/appeals/esc_bulletins/2008/apr.pdf) and the drive to the [North Pole](https://www.edgepedia.org/north-pole) in a modified [Toyota Hilux](https://www.edgepedia.org/toyota-hilux), after which Clarkson remarked that May would be "the first person at the North Pole who didn't want to be there"[1](https://topgear.fandom.com/wiki/James_May).
In March 2015 Clarkson was dismissed after physically and verbally attacking a producer, Oisin Tymon, who needed hospital treatment[6](https://time.com/3832996/james-may-top-gear-clarkson-return/). May ruled out returning without Clarkson, calling a lineup of himself and Hammond with a surrogate presenter a "non-starter", and declined to renew his contract later that year, as did Hammond[6](https://time.com/3832996/james-may-top-gear-clarkson-return/) • [1](https://topgear.fandom.com/wiki/James_May).
## The Grand Tour and beyond
The trio signed with Amazon in 2015 and set up a production company, W Chump & Sons[1](https://topgear.fandom.com/wiki/James_May) • [10](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2016/nov/10/james-may-it-works-because-we-hate-each-other-grand-tour-interview). *The Grand Tour* launched on Prime Video on 18 November 2016, with the first season of 12 episodes hosted from a traveling studio tent on four continents[11](https://time.com/4521653/the-grand-tour-trailer-jeremy-clarkson/). May attributed the trio's success to what he called "the sitcom element" rather than the cars: "We work because we hate each other. That's the magic formula", describing the on-screen animosity as "camped-up pantomime" built on real differences[10](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2016/nov/10/james-may-it-works-because-we-hate-each-other-grand-tour-interview). The series ended in 2024, and since then May has said he has no plans to work with Clarkson and Hammond again[1](https://topgear.fandom.com/wiki/James_May) • [12](https://www.lbc.co.uk/article/what-james-may-doing-now-5HjdjbN_2/).
**Solo presenting.** May's other programs span motoring, science, and travel. A Guardian curriculum vitae traces the arc: *Oz & James's Big Wine Adventure* (2006) with wine writer [Oz Clarke](https://www.edgepedia.org/oz-clarke), *James May's 20th Century* (2007), *Toy Stories* (2009), *Man Lab* (2010), and *James May's Cars of the People* (2014)[2](https://www.theguardian.com/media/2016/mar/27/james-may-chris-evans-top-gear-amazon). He built a full-size house from Lego and a Meccano motorbike and sidecar for one show, and for *James May's Big Ideas* he was strapped to a hydrogen-peroxide jet-pack and hovered above a Sussex garden[10](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2016/nov/10/james-may-it-works-because-we-hate-each-other-grand-tour-interview). In 2020 he fronted *[James May: Oh Cook](https://www.edgepedia.org/james-may-oh-cook)* on Prime Video, a cookery series made to accompany his cookbook, in which he prepared dishes such as a Thai noodle soup while openly displaying the television tricks normally hidden in the genre; he explained the premise with the observation that he had "arrived at the age where I spend most of my day thinking about my next meal"[3](https://press.aboutamazon.com/uk/2020/7/amazon-prime-video-confirms-james-may-oh-cook-a-short-sweet-and-savoury-cookery-series-brought-to-you-by-the-grand-tours-james-may). The travel series *James May: Our Man in Japan* (2020) and its sequels present a slower, more personal format; critics have credited his curiosity, wit, and humility as the reason the travel format works[13](https://www.jalopnik.com/james-may-our-man-in-japan-is-what-i-always-wanted-fro-1840830018/) • [14](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/james-may-our-man-in/critic-reviews/).
After *The Grand Tour* ended, May turned to a gin business, his pub, and a YouTube channel, and presents a new series, *James May's Great Explorers*, for Channel 5[12](https://www.lbc.co.uk/article/what-james-may-doing-now-5HjdjbN_2/).
## Presentation style
Viewers and colleagues describe May's delivery as calm, precise, and well organized, shaping many of *Top Gear*'s instructional and review segments[15](https://media.newsreview.com/article/who-was-the-well-spoken-man-on-top-gear). He approaches subjects through their construction, sound, history, or usefulness rather than treating them purely as technology[16](https://britainwrites.co.uk/james-may/), a quality that carried over from his magazine work, where he could break down complex mechanisms into simple, often humorous explanations[4](https://lora-stack.trigger.systems/read/james-mays-first-journalism-job-in-the-1980s-explained-1bqxmbp).
## References
1. [James May, Top Gear Wiki (Fandom)](https://topgear.fandom.com/wiki/James_May)
2. [James May: 'We are not in a race with Chris Evans' Top Gear', The Guardian (2016)](https://www.theguardian.com/media/2016/mar/27/james-may-chris-evans-top-gear-amazon)
3. [Amazon Prime Video confirms James May: Oh Cook, Amazon Press Center (2020)](https://press.aboutamazon.com/uk/2020/7/amazon-prime-video-confirms-james-may-oh-cook-a-short-sweet-and-savoury-cookery-series-brought-to-you-by-the-grand-tours-james-may)
4. [James May's first journalism job in the 1980s explained, The Lora Stack Journal](https://lora-stack.trigger.systems/read/james-mays-first-journalism-job-in-the-1980s-explained-1bqxmbp)
5. [5 Things To Know About New Top Gear Host Chris Evans, TIME (2015)](https://time.com/3923993/new-top-gear-host-chris-evans/)
6. [James May Says He Won't Return to Top Gear Without Jeremy Clarkson, TIME (2015)](https://time.com/3832996/james-may-top-gear-clarkson-return/)
7. [James May Biography, Celebrity Facts and Awards, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/james-may/bio/3000135227/)
8. [Top Gear and Anti-environmentalism, University of Sunderland](https://sure.sunderland.ac.uk/id/eprint/6668/8/Top%2520Gear%2520and%2520Anti-environmentalism%2520AS%2520Jan16.pdf)
9. [Editorial Standards Findings: April 2008, BBC Trust](https://downloads.bbc.co.uk/bbctrust/assets/files/pdf/appeals/esc_bulletins/2008/apr.pdf)
10. [James May: 'It works because we hate each other', The Guardian (2016)](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2016/nov/10/james-may-it-works-because-we-hate-each-other-grand-tour-interview)
11. [Watch the Trailer for Jeremy Clarkson's New International Car Show The Grand Tour, TIME (2016)](https://time.com/4521653/the-grand-tour-trailer-jeremy-clarkson/)
12. [What is James May doing now? LBC (2026)](https://www.lbc.co.uk/article/what-james-may-doing-now-5HjdjbN_2/)
13. [James May: Our Man In Japan Is What I Always Wanted From The Grand Tour, Jalopnik (2020)](https://www.jalopnik.com/james-may-our-man-in-japan-is-what-i-always-wanted-fro-1840830018/)
14. [James May: Our Man in... critic reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/james-may-our-man-in/critic-reviews/)
15. [Who Was the Well Spoken Man on Top Gear, NewsReview Media](https://media.newsreview.com/article/who-was-the-well-spoken-man-on-top-gear)
16. [James May His Career Before and After Top Gear, Britain Writes](https://britainwrites.co.uk/james-may/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Television presenters and hosts › Lifestyle and property presenters*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license