16 Facts About James May

James Daniel May was born on 16 January 1963 and is an English television presenter and journalist.

James May is best known as a co-presenter, alongside Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond, of the motoring programme Top Gear from 2003 until 2015 and the television series The Grand Tour for Amazon Prime Video from 2016 to 2024.

James May wrote a weekly column for The Daily Telegraphs motoring section from 2003 to 2011.

James May held a part-time job as a moulder at the foundry his father was employed at and suggested in a 2017 interview with The Times that this formed his interest in mechanics.

James May wrote the afterword to Long Lane with Turnings, published in September 2006, the final book by motoring writer L JK Setright.

James May was briefly a co-presenter of the original Top Gear series in 1999.

James May first co-presented the revived series of Top Gear in its second series in 2003, where he earned the nickname "Captain Slow" owing to his careful driving style, and his OCD-like obsessions with order.

Later, in 2011, James May tried for the record again, proposing a race between German model railroad enthusiasts and their British counterparts.

In 2013, James May created a life-size, fully functional motorcycle and sidecar made entirely out of the construction toy Meccano.

James May created his own YouTube channel, titled "JM's Unemployment Tube", in 2015 after Top Gear was postponed by the BBC following Jeremy Clarkson's dismissal.

In 2016, James May launched, with his former Top Gear presenters, a social network for motoring fans called DriveTribe.

In 2019, James May moved on to created videos on a Drivetribe spin-off brand Foodtribe frequently using a small, bedsit-like kitchen setup called "The Bug-out Bunker".

In July 2010, James May was awarded an honorary doctorate by Lancaster University, where he had previously studied music.

In 2020, James May bought half the ownership of a pub in Swallowcliffe, Wiltshire, called The Royal Oak, which dates from the early 18th century and is a Grade II listed building.

James May currently owns a 2010 Porsche 911 Carrera S facelift, a 2018 Alpine A110, a Fiat Panda, a Volkswagen Polo, a Tesla Model 3 Highland, a prototype 1989 Rover Mini Cooper RSP, "a couple of Land Rovers", a Triumph Stag, a 2015 Ferrari 458 Speciale which he ordered following his exit from Top Gear and the VW Beach Buggy used in The Grand Tour Special "The Beach Buggy Boys".

James May obtained a light aircraft pilot's licence in October 2006, having trained at White Waltham Airfield.