James May reveals he ‘wouldn’t rule out’ filming new TV shows with Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond amid claims Grand Tour trio were set to end their 20-year partnership
James May has said he “won’t rule out” filming new TV shows with Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond amid reports they are set to leave the Grand Tour.
The presenter said the trio, made famous by the BBC Top Gear presenter, had “filmed their last (episode) so far” and joked that he was “technically unemployed”.
May, who made the remarks on Radio 4’s Today programme, which he edited on Wednesday morning, said he was still in touch with Clarkson and Hammond, with whom he first began working in 2003.
He said that although they have grown “a little bit” in age, if the right idea or opportunity comes along, he might be tempted to step away in front of the camera with them.
The 60-year-old added that the three of them had always wanted to end their time on the Grand Tour “with grace and not go over the edge.”
Richard Hammond (left), Jeremy Clarkson (centre) and James May in a promotional photograph for BBC’s Top Gear, which they presented from 2003 to 2015.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, James May joked that he is “technically unemployed”.
Last month it was reported that May, along with Clarkson and Hammond, were planning to leave The Grand Tour, a show they have hosted since 2016.
Speaking to Today host Justin Webb, May revealed that two more episodes of the program will air next year, but after that the future remains uncertain.
Speaking on Radio 4’s Today programme, which he edited, May said: “We’ve filmed our last program for now.”
When asked whether the trio, who have become household names thanks to their automotive antics, could be brought back together again, he replied: “I wouldn’t rule it out, but you have to keep in mind that we all come into conflict.” a piece.’
He added: ‘We’ve got two (episodes of The Grand Tour), one coming out very soon and the other coming out a little later, but what happens between now and then we’ll have to wait and see.’
“I guess that makes me technically unemployed,” he joked. “I can hear applause rolling across the country.”
When asked by Webb if they had any projects in the works as a trio, May replied: “I can’t reveal that because the hard truth is I don’t know yet.” But I still talk to them.”
He then stated that depending on what it was, he could see himself working with Clarkson and Hammond again, but it would have to be something that worked well.
“Part of our conversation was always how we could land gracefully and not knock him off a cliff,” he said.
“I do think that, despite our time obviously coming to an end and Top Gear being cancelled, there has never been a better time (for a car program).
“Things like the future of self-driving cars, new means of driving cars, changing the overall attitude towards cars and driving – there has never been a better time for a car show.” And the auto show itself needs to be rethought.”
Jeremy Clarkson (right), Richard Hammond (center) and James May (left) filmed during a scene in The Grand Tour: A Scandinavian Film.
The trio are filmed on the race track during the Eastern Europe Grand Tour special – Eurocrash
Last month it was reported that May was set to leave the Grand Tour along with Clarkson and Hammond, which shocked fans.
The show itself may continue without the hosts, with Prime Video exploring options on how to move forward without them – and the trio are believed to be open to hiring new hosts.
Fans of the show still have some more helpings of The Grand Tour to look forward to – two special episodes that follow Clarkson, May and Hammond in Mauritania and Zimbabwe are due to air next year.
The trio also have other projects in development – Clarkson recently filmed a third season of Clarkson Farm and a fourth is in development, and May has another set of travelogues, Our Man in…, set to be released.
Leaving the program would create a hugely successful bond between Clarkson, 63, May, 60, and Hammond, 52, dating back 20 years.
The group became superstars after taking over the BBC’s Top Gear, transforming it from a niche car program into one of the corporation’s most popular properties and selling it to subsidiaries around the world.
Their time on the show was not without controversy.
Richard Hammond nearly died when he was involved in a 320mph crash while filming a Top Gear stunt at Elvington Airfield in York in 2006.
The TV presenter was in a coma for two weeks; as a result of the incident, he received serious head injuries. In the photo: a broken car.
Mexico’s ambassador slams Top Gear after its people were called ‘lazy, feckless and pompous’
Top Gear presenters were kicked out of Argentina in 2014 because of this number
Clarkson was dropped from Top Gear in 2015 over what the BBC called an “unprovoked physical and verbal attack” on producer Oisin Tymon (with whom he is pictured).
Richard Hammond nearly died when he was involved in a 320mph crash while filming a stunt for the show, leaving him in a coma for two weeks and ‘The Hamster’ himself admitting he feared he would suffer early-onset dementia as a result.
The trio have also been the target of a number of racism scandals, with Mexico’s ambassador complaining when the show called his men “lazy”, “helpless” and “metecular”, prompting an apology from the BBC.
They were also chased out of Argentina by an angry mob after an argument over a license plate used during the filming of the series. Officials said the H982 FKL on a Porche registered in May 1991 is a reference to the 1982 Falklands War.
That same year, Ofcom ruled that there had been a breach of the broadcasting code by including an offensive racial term during a Burma special.
They left the program abruptly in 2015 after Clarkson was fired from the channel following a row with producers, before returning to The Grand Tour in 2016.
Since then, they’ve spent 44 episodes of the series taking them all over the world, visiting Cambodia and Vietnam, Reunion and Madagascar, Scandinavia and Eastern Europe.