James May

James Daniel May was born on January 16, 1963, in Bristol, England. He spent his early years in Newport, Wales, attending Caerleon Endowed School, and later his teenage years in South Yorkshire, where he was a choirboy at Whiston Parish Church and attended Oakwood Comprehensive School. May’s academic background includes studying music at Pendle College, Lancaster University, where he learned to play the flute and piano. He also undertook a year of metalwork at a technical college. After graduating, May held positions as a records officer at a Chelsea hospital and had a short period in the civil service before commencing his career in journalism and broadcasting in his thirties.

His journalism career began in the early 1980s as a sub-editor for ‘The Engineer’ and ‘Autocar’ magazine. He gained recognition for a notable incident in 1992 where he was dismissed from ‘Autocar’ for embedding an acrostic message in the “Road Test Yearbook” supplement, which spelled out an irreverent phrase. This event, while leading to his dismissal, highlighted his distinctive personality. May transitioned into television, co-presenting the original ‘Top Gear’ series briefly in 1999 and then joining the revived series in 2003, where he became widely known for his methodical driving style and was nicknamed “Captain Slow.” His tenure on ‘Top Gear’ spanned until 2015, during which he co-presented alongside Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond, contributing to the show’s global success. Notably, in 2007, he drove a Bugatti Veyron to its top speed of 253 mph and later achieved 259.11 mph in the Veyron’s 16.4 Super Sport edition in 2010.

Beyond motoring, May has explored a diverse range of topics through his television work. He hosted programs like ‘James May’s 20th Century,’ investigating inventions, and ‘James May’s Toy Stories,’ where he executed large-scale projects using classic toys, such as building a full-sized Lego house and recreating the Brooklands track with Scalextric. His interest in science and exploration led him to present ‘James May’s Big Ideas’ and undertake significant endeavors like flying to the stratosphere in a Lockheed U-2 spy plane for ‘James May at the Edge of Space.’ From 2016 to 2024, May reunited with Clarkson and Hammond for ‘The Grand Tour’ on Amazon Prime Video, continuing their collaborative success. He has also developed popular solo series for Amazon, including ‘James May: Our Man in Japan’ (2020), ‘James May: Our Man in Italy,’ and ‘James May: Our Man in India,’ showcasing his travel and cultural explorations. In 2020, he acquired half-ownership of The Royal Oak pub in Swallowcliffe, Wiltshire, further diversifying his ventures.