James May facts for kids

Quick facts for kids James May
May in 2007
Born	James Daniel May (1963-01-16) 16 January 1963 (age 62) Bristol, England
Other names	Captain Slow
Alma mater	Lancaster University
Occupation	Broadcaster columnist author journalist businessman
Years active	1980 (1980)s–present
Employer	Amazon Prime Video Former employers: W. Chump & Sons BBC Channel 4 ITV Sky Autocar The Daily Telegraph
Known for	Driven (1998) Top Gear (1977 Series) (1999) Top Gear (2002 Series) (2003–15) Oz and James's Big Wine Adventure (2006–07) Oz and James Drink to Britain (2009) James May's Top Toys (2005) James May's Toy Stories (2009, 2011–14) James May's 20th Century (2007) James May's Big Ideas (2008) James May's Man Lab (2010–13) James May: The Reassembler (2016–17) The Grand Tour (2016–24) James May: Our Man in... (2020–24) James May: Oh Cook! (2020–23)
Height	6 ft (1.83 m)
Partner(s)	Sarah Frater (2000–present)

James Daniel May (born 16 January 1963) is an English television presenter and journalist. He is famous for co-hosting the car show Top Gear. He worked alongside Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond from 2003 to 2015. Later, they all presented The Grand Tour for Amazon Prime Video from 2016 to 2024. James May also helped run a TV production company called W. Chump & Sons.

May has presented many other TV shows. These shows covered topics like travel, science, technology, and toys. He also wrote a weekly column about cars for The Daily Telegraph newspaper from 2003 to 2011.

Early Life and Education

James Daniel May was born in Bristol, England. His father managed an aluminium factory. James was one of four children, having two sisters and a brother. He went to Caerleon Endowed Junior School in Newport.

During his teenage years, James lived in South Yorkshire. He attended Oakwood Comprehensive School in Rotherham. He was also a choirboy at Whiston Parish Church. May later studied music at Pendle College, Lancaster University. There, he learned to play the flute and piano. After college, he worked briefly at a hospital and then in the civil service.

Journalism Career

In the early 1980s, James May worked as an editor for The Engineer magazine. He then worked for Autocar magazine. He was let go from Autocar for playing a prank.

Since then, he has written for many other magazines. These include Car Magazine and Top Gear magazine. He also wrote a weekly column for The Daily Telegraph.

May has written several books. May on Motors (2006) is a collection of his articles. He also co-wrote Oz and James's Big Wine Adventure (2006). This book was based on his TV series about wine. Other books include Notes From The Hard Shoulder and James May's 20th Century. The latter book went along with his TV show of the same name.

The Autocar Prank

James May's hidden message

In 1992, James May was fired from Autocar magazine. He admitted that he created a hidden message in one of their issues. The magazine published a "Road Test Yearbook" supplement. Each section had four car reviews. Each review began with a large red letter.

May's job was to put the whole supplement together. To make it more fun, he arranged the reviews so that the first letters on the first four pages spelled out "ROAD", "TEST", "YEAR", and "BOOK". Readers noticed the hidden message and called the magazine. When the management found out, they decided to fire him.

Television Shows

James May has presented many TV shows. In 1998, he hosted Driven on Channel 4. He also narrated a BBC One series called Road Rage School. He co-hosted the ITV1 coverage of the 2006 London Boat Show. He also created and presented a Christmas special called James May's Top Toys. Another show, James May: My Sisters' Top Toys, looked at why certain toys appeal more to boys or girls.

Top Gear Adventures

The Top Gear team: Richard Hammond, James May, and Jeremy Clarkson in 2009

James May was briefly a presenter on the original Top Gear show in 1999. He joined the new Top Gear series in 2003 for its second season. On the show, he earned the nickname "Captain Slow". This was because of his careful driving style.

Despite his nickname, he has driven very fast cars. In 2007, he drove a Bugatti Veyron to its top speed of 253 miles per hour (407 km/h). In 2010, he reached 259.11 miles per hour (417 km/h) in the even faster Veyron 16.4 Super Sport. He also raced the Bugatti Veyron against a Pagani Zonda F.

In 2007, May, along with Jeremy Clarkson and an Icelandic team, drove a special Toyota Hilux to the magnetic North Pole. Clarkson joked that May was the first person to go there "who didn't want to be there." May also drove a modified Toyota Hilux up the side of the erupting volcano Eyjafjallajökull.

In 2015, the BBC decided not to renew Jeremy Clarkson's contract. After this, James May said he would not continue to present Top Gear with new hosts.

Science and Technology Shows

May presented Inside Killer Sharks, a documentary for Sky. He also hosted James May's 20th Century, which explored important inventions. For this show, he flew in a Royal Air Force Eurofighter Typhoon jet. It reached a speed of about 1320 mph (2124 km/h).

In late 2008, the BBC aired James May's Big Ideas. This three-part series showed May traveling the world. He looked for real-life examples of things that seemed like science fiction. He also presented James May's Man Lab from 2010 to 2013. In 2013, May narrated To Space & Back, a documentary about how space exploration affects modern technology.

James May on the Moon

James May on the Moon (BBC 2, 2009) celebrated 40 years since humans first landed on the Moon. After this, he made another documentary for BBC Four. It was called James May at the Edge of Space. For this show, May flew to the stratosphere (70,000 feet) in a US Air Force Lockheed U-2 spy plane. This made him one of the highest-flying people at that time, besides astronauts.

James May's Toy Stories

May in 2009 during filming for James May's Toy Stories

Starting in October 2009, May presented a six-part TV series called James May's Toy Stories. The show looked at popular toys from the past. It explored if these toys could be used in new ways today. The toys featured included Airfix, Plasticine, Meccano, Scalextric, Lego, and Hornby. In each episode, May tried to push the toys to their limits. He also fulfilled some of his childhood dreams.

In August 2009, May built a full-sized house entirely out of Lego bricks. It was built at Denbies Wine Estate in Surrey. There were plans to move it to Legoland theme park, but it was too expensive. The house was taken down on 22 September, and the Lego bricks were given to charity.

For the series, he also rebuilt the banked track at Brooklands using Scalextric. He tried to build the world's longest working model railway. This was along the Tarka Trail in North Devon. However, the attempt failed because parts of the track were stolen. Also, vandals put coins on the track, causing a short circuit. In 2011, May tried again for the record. This time, two teams raced model trains along a double track. The effort succeeded, and both teams ran three trains the entire route.

A special Christmas episode called Flight Club aired in December 2012. In this special, James and his team built a huge toy glider. It flew 22 miles (35 km) from Devon to the island of Lundy.

In 2013, May created a life-size, working motorcycle and sidecar. It was made completely out of the construction toy Meccano. With Oz Clarke, he rode it for a full lap of the Isle of Man TT Course. This circuit is 37.75 miles long.

Oz and James Wine Adventures

In late 2006, the BBC aired Oz and James's Big Wine Adventure. In this series, May, who prefers beer, traveled around France with wine expert Oz Clarke. A second series aired in late 2007, with May and Clarke exploring Californian wine country. A third series in 2009 was called Oz and James Drink to Britain.

James May: Our Man in... Travel Series

In January 2020, May hosted a travel show called James May: Our Man in Japan. This 6-episode series was released on Amazon Prime Video. It followed May's journey from the north of Japan to the south. Over three months, May explored and took part in many activities. He wanted to truly understand the country that had interested him for a long time. During his trip through major cities like Tokyo and Kyoto, he had different guides and translators.

A second series, James May: Our Man in Italy, showed May traveling through Italy. He explored the culture and food from Palermo to the Dolomites. A third series, James May: Our Man in India, followed James May's journey through India. In October 2024, May confirmed this series was canceled.

Online Presence

May in 2010

James May helped create Head Squeeze, which is now called "BBC Earth Lab". This YouTube channel covers science, technology, history, and current events. The first video was posted in December 2012.

In 2015, May started his own YouTube channel called "JM's Unemployment Tube". He did this after Top Gear was put on hold by the BBC. His channel mainly featured cooking videos filmed in his kitchen. He also showed mock builds of Airfix models. As of March 2021, the channel had over 230,000 subscribers.

In 2016, May, along with his former Top Gear co-presenters, launched DriveTribe. This was a social network for car fans.

In 2019, May moved to creating videos for Foodtribe, a spin-off from Drivetribe. This replaced his "JM's Unemployment Tube" channel. He often used a small kitchen setup called "The Bug-out Bunker." The channel has since been renamed "What Next?".

May became famous online when one of his Foodtribe videos went viral. In the video, while making two cheese sandwiches, May simply said "cheese" after putting a block of Red Leicester on a table. This moment became very popular and was used in many online memes.

Personal Life

James May lives in Hammersmith, West London. He has been in a relationship with art critic Sarah Frater since 2000. In July 2010, Lancaster University gave May an honorary doctorate degree. He had studied music there before.

In 2020, May bought half ownership of a pub in Swallowcliffe, Wiltshire. The pub is called The Royal Oak and dates back to the early 18th century. It is a Grade II listed building, meaning it is historically important.

Cars and Vehicles

James May has owned many different cars over the years. Some of these include a 2005 Saab 9-5 Aero, a Bentley T2, and a Rolls-Royce Phantom. He has also owned a Ferrari 308 GTB, a 2015 Toyota Mirai, and a 2021 Toyota Mirai. Other cars include a Ferrari F430, a Ferrari 458 Italia, and a 1984 Porsche 911 Turbo. He also had a 2019 Tesla Model S 100D, a 2016 BMW i3, and a 2005 Porsche Boxster S. He says the Boxster S was the first new car he ever bought.

Currently, May owns a 2010 Porsche 911 Carrera S facelift and a 2018 Alpine A110. He also has a Fiat Panda, a Volkswagen Polo, and a Tesla Model 3 Highland. His collection includes a prototype 1989 Rover Mini Cooper RSP and "a couple of Land Rovers." He also owns a Triumph Stag and a 2015 Ferrari 458 Speciale. He bought the Ferrari after leaving Top Gear. He also has the VW Beach Buggy used in The Grand Tour special "The Beach Buggy Boys." For commuting, he often uses a Brompton folding bicycle. He passed his driving test on his second try. He joked that "All the best people pass the second time."

May also has a light aircraft pilot's licence. He got it in October 2006 after training at White Waltham Airfield. He has owned several planes, including a Luscombe 8A Silvaire, a Cessna A185E Skywagon, and an American Champion 8KCAB Super Decathlon. The registration of his Decathlon, G-OCOK, is a funny reference to a phrase he often says.

Filmography

Television Shows

DVDs and Video Games

See also

In Spanish: James May para niños