James May
James Daniel May (born 16 January 1963) is an English television presenter, journalist and writer. May is best known as co-presenter of the motoring programme Top Gear alongside Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond. May has presented a variety of other programmes on themes including science and technology, childhood toys, cars, food and drink, and the plight of manliness in modern times. In addition he has released a variety of DVDs and books with similar themes, and writes a weekly column for The Daily Telegraph's motoring section. On Top Gear, May has the nickname "Captain Slow", for his careful driving style, a love of small, underpowered cars and habit of getting lost and distracted whilst driving. In a February 2007 episode of Top Gear he carried out a successful top speed test drive of a Bugatti Veyron at the Ehra-Lessien Volkswagen test track, reaching 407 kilometres per hour (253 mph). In July 2010 he repeated the attempt in the updated Bugatti Veyron Super Sport, reaching the vehicle's top speed of 417.6 kilometres per hour (259.5 mph), confirming that it had retaken the title as the fastest road car in production.
| Known For | Acting |
|---|---|
| Most Rating | 1.5029 |
| Birthday | 1963-01-16 |
| Place of Birth | Bristol - England - UK |
| Also Known As |
2009
James May at the Edge of Space
7.2/6
James May always wanted to be an astronaut. Now, 40 years after the first Apollo landings, he gets a chance to fly to the edge of space in a U2 spy pl...
Watch Now
James May at the Edge of Space
2007
Top Gear of the Pops
7.2/5
As part of Comic Relief 2007, the boys revived "Top Of The Pops" by having performances by Lethal Bizzle, Supergrass, Travis and Mcfly as well as inte...
Watch Now
Top Gear of the Pops
2008
Top Gear: The Great Adventures Vol. 1
8/1
The Top Gear: The Great Adventures is a boxed release of the Polar Special which is a 72 minute "Director's Cut". and the US Special but a cut down 50...
Watch Now
Top Gear: The Great Adventures Vol. 1
2009
Top Gear: The Great Adventures 2
0/0
Two special Top Gear episodes presented by Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May. In 'Botswana Special', our intrepid explorers, attempting t...
Watch Now
Top Gear: The Great Adventures 2
2015
James May's Cars of the People
8/0
The Model T, the 2CV, The Fiat Cinquecento, history says these are the iconic Peoples' Cars, but James May begs to differ and in this three part serie...
Watch Now
James May's Cars of the People
2011
Top Gear: At the Movies
6.3/20
Cars! Film! Cars on film! Film involving cars! You get the idea. It’s basically a DVD involving those two things. Gasp as we find the perfect drift c...
Watch Now
Top Gear: At the Movies
2012
Top Gear: The Worst Car In the History of the World
7.3/39
Jeremy Clarkson and James May travel to the North of England to name and shame some of the worst cars in history, from manufacturers who "should have...
Watch Now
Top Gear: The Worst Car In the History of the World
2014
Top Gear: The Burma Special
8.5/21
In this special Clarkson, Hammond and May don’t just buy three knackered old lorries and drive miles through the beautiful landscapes of Burma. Oh dea...
Watch Now
Top Gear: The Burma Special
2013
Top Gear: The Great African Adventure
8.5/17
Another expedition for Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May. This time around, our intrepid explorers take on the task of finding the source...
Watch Now
Top Gear: The Great African Adventure
2007
Top Gear: The Challenges
8/3
Featuring the most ludicrous stunts ever undertaken on TV. Top Gear doesn't do things by halves, which is completely apparent in Top Gear: The Challe...
Watch Now
Top Gear: The Challenges
2013
Top Gear Festival: Sydney
0/1
Top Gear: Festival Sydney was a special episode of the BBC motoring show Top Gear, featuring the regular presenters Jeremy Clarkson and James May alon...
Watch Now
Top Gear Festival: Sydney
2009
James May's Toy Stories - Airfix
10/1
James gets a group of thirteen-year-old children from Telford to build a life-size Airfix model of a Spitfire aircraft, complete with a model of himse...
Watch Now
James May's Toy Stories - Airfix
2009
Top Gear: The Challenges 3
7.5/2
Jeremy, Richard and James embark on yet more ill-advised attempts to out-do each other in a stinky cloud of tyre smoke, rust and over-ambitious muckin...
Watch Now
Top Gear: The Challenges 3
2010
Top Gear: Apocalypse
6.4/23
Just what will motoring be like in a post apocalyptic world that's been blown to bits by nuclear bombs or a massive comet? It's a burning question tha...
Watch Now
Top Gear: Apocalypse
2012
Top Gear: The Great Adventures 5
8/28
The gang embarks on a trade mission to India. Equipped with three old British cars and a range of uniquely British products, they set off on an epic r...
Watch Now
Top Gear: The Great Adventures 5
2011
Top Gear: The Great Adventures 4
8.4/30
The film predates the Syrian Civil War and involves a 1,200-mile (1,900 km) road-trip from Erbil International Airport in Iraqi Kurdistan to Bethlehem...
Watch Now
Top Gear: The Great Adventures 4
2007
Top Gear: Polar Special
8.5/27
Clarkson and May, in a seriously modified Toyota, take on Hammond and his dog sled in a 450 mil race to the North pole as they drive over thin ice to...
Watch Now
Top Gear: Polar Special
2010
Top Gear: The Challenges 4
7.5/2
Hot places! Cold places! Places where the temperature is quite pleasant! There's nowhere Top Gear hasn't been in the name of temperature based enterta...
Watch Now
Top Gear: The Challenges 4
2011
Top Gear: The Challenges 5
7.5/2
Allow us to present yet another challenges bonanza crammed with volcanoes, World speed records, flying caravans, unstable Reliant Robins, jaw dropping...
Watch Now
Top Gear: The Challenges 5
2012
Top Gear: The Challenges 6
7/1
Top Gear THE CHALLENGES 6 combines all the meaty goodness of incredible car-based endeavours with all the tasty treats of brilliant star guests and a...
Watch Now
Top Gear: The Challenges 6
2006
Top Gear: Winter Olympics Special
7.3/15
The Top Gear team hit Norway for a Winter Olympics special in which they attempt Olympic events, but with cars. In a world first, the team fire a rock...
Watch Now
Top Gear: Winter Olympics Special
2007
James May: My Sisters' Top Toys
5.5/2
James May celebrates the toys that made his childhood hell as he opens the lid on his sisters' toy box. Sandwiched between elder sister Jane and young...
Watch Now
James May: My Sisters' Top Toys
2008
Top Gear - Planes, Rockets & Automobiles
0/0
Trains have a place in this world, but no on this DVD, thanks.
'Rockets' it is. Rockets are far more interesting than trains, anyway, especially when...
Watch Now
Top Gear - Planes, Rockets & Automobiles
2009
James May on the Moon
6.8/10
Top Gear presenter James May presents this informative program that examines the historic moon missions. Traveling to America, May meets three of the...
Watch Now
James May on the Moon
2011
Top Gear: Cars with Soul
9/2
Some cars have a million horsepower, others have twinkly lights and big shiny wheels. But a rare few have something else; soul. It's found in funny pl...
Watch Now
Top Gear: Cars with Soul
2007
Top Gear: US Special
8/18
The Top Gear team go on a US adventure. Its the ultimate road trip and finds the guys driving $1000 wrecks over 700 stifling miles to New Orleans. In...
Watch Now
Top Gear: US Special
2018
Top Gear: Winter Blunderland
8.5/2
Oh, the weather outside is frightful... so get out there and start doing some stupid stuff in cars. Yes, whether it's racing a rally car against a bo...
Watch Now
Top Gear: Winter Blunderland
2011
A Night with the Stars
8/2
For one night only, Professor Brian Cox goes unplugged in a specially recorded programme from the lecture theatre of the Royal Institution of Great Br...
Watch Now
A Night with the Stars
2017
Top Gear: The Best of the Specials
8.8/4
Welcome to Top Gear, The Best of the Specials. All the wildest, funniest, exciting-est bits from all the legendary Top Gear Specials, combined into o...
Watch Now
Top Gear: The Best of the Specials
2008
Top Gear: The Challenges 2
8/2
Races, chases and things on fire; treat yourself to a bucketload of Top Gear's attempts to get melted, hurt or drowned. To more cries of "How hard ca...
Watch Now
Top Gear: The Challenges 2
2008
Top Gear: The Great Adventures 2
8.9/11
The boys headed to Vietnam for epic road trip across the country. Each of them were given 15 million dong (about US$ 1000) to spend on buying some whe...
Watch Now
Top Gear: The Great Adventures 2
2007
Top Gear - Best of the Challenges
0/0
Can a rocket propelled Mini take on an Olympic ski jump and survive? Can an Italian supercar be bought for just £10k and driven round a track without...
Watch Now
Top Gear - Best of the Challenges
2014
Top Gear: Patagonia Special
8.6/10
The 11th Top Gear Special is a glorious celebration of the V8 engine, or at least, it was supposed to be. In it, Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and...
Watch Now
Top Gear: Patagonia Special
2005
James May's Top Toys
6/8
James May presents a celebration of the toys which have survived across the decades, including Meccano, Lego, Scalextric and Airfix. James's all-time...
Watch Now
James May's Top Toys
2019
Top Gear - Planes, Trains and Automobiles
8/1
Top Gear - Planes, Trains & Automobiles is a collection of classic moments featuring Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May, in a celebration...
Watch Now
Top Gear - Planes, Trains and Automobiles
2010
Top Gear: The Great Adventures 3
8.7/25
Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May are dropped deep in the Bolivian rainforest armed only with three 4x4s which they bought from the local...
Watch Now
Top Gear: The Great Adventures 3
2008
Top Ground Gear Force
8/6
As part of Sports Relief 2008, the Top Gear crew tries to revive the TV show "Ground Force" and revamp the garden of Olympian legend Sir Steve Redgrav...
Watch Now
Top Ground Gear Force
2005
Top Gear: Revved Up
9.5/1
Highlights from series three through five of the popular motoring show, alongside out-takes and unbroadcast material. A preview disc, entitled "The Be...
Watch Now
Top Gear: Revved Up
2010
Top Gear: Romania Special
8/4
Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May take an Aston DBS Volante, a Ferrari California and a Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder to Romania in search...
Watch Now
Top Gear: Romania Special
2011
Top Gear: The U.S. Special
8.2/4
In their not quite biggest adventures yet, the boys visit the good old US of A and former Eastern Bloc Albania for two action packed road trips. In Am...
Watch Now
Top Gear: The U.S. Special
2012
Top Gear: Supercars Across Italy
8/8
Top Gear: Supercars Across Italy
Watch Now
Top Gear: Supercars Across Italy
2015
Top Gear: Greatest Hits
8/1
Collection of the best moments from the BBC motoring show presented by Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond.
Watch Now
Top Gear: Greatest Hits
2006
Top Gear: Supercars
8/1
Top Gear: Supercars
Watch Now
Top Gear: Supercars
2015
Top Gear: The Big Send Off Special
8.2/9
Hammond and May host a special episode featuring two films that had been completed prior to the dismissal of their absent colleague. In the first film...
Watch Now
Top Gear: The Big Send Off Special
2021
Top Gear: A Tribute to Sabine Schmitz
9/5
Top Gear will pay tribute to Queen of the Nürburgring Sabine Schmitz, who died last month aged 51, with a half-hour special reuniting current and form...
Watch Now
Top Gear: A Tribute to Sabine Schmitz
2006
Top Gear: The Races
0/0
Le Mans? Not gruelling enough. Indy 500? Too slow. Monaco? No glamour. Forget them all - here are the three greatest races ever filmed. Somebody made...
Watch Now
Top Gear: The Races
2024
Joan Rivers at the BBC
0/0
Katherine Ryan presents a celebration of one of the biggest comedy talents to ever appear on the small screens – the razor-sharp-tongued first lady of...
Watch Now
Joan Rivers at the BBC
2015
Top Gear: Australian Road Trip
10/1
The presenters travel to Australia's Northern Territory for a road trip across the outback in three GT cars. On their trip they deal with crocodile in...
Watch Now
Top Gear: Australian Road Trip
2011
Top Gear - Albania Special
0/0
As Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May head to Albania to test the super luxurious Rolls-Royce Ghost and Mercedes S65 AMG, they hit a spot...
Watch Now
Top Gear - Albania Special
2011
The Interceptors
10/1
It’s a time of peace, love and karate kicks as the lads try out the reborn Jensen Interceptor in a love letter to the ITC detective shows of the 70s.
Watch Now
The Interceptors
2015
Top Gear: From A-Z
0/0
From A-Z incorporates a wealth of footage and incredible facts from the past 13 years of Top Gear. Viewers get to see the greatest moments from the pa...
Watch Now
Top Gear: From A-Z
2014
International Buffoons' Vacation
0/0
"International Buffoons' Vacation" is The Grand Tour season 3, episode 8, where the hosts take an RV holiday in the Southwestern US, but quickly ditch...
Watch Now