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Richard Hammond & James May Return to ‘Traumatising’ Top Gear Studio 10 Years Later

BBG News

Richard Hammond and James May looked back at their days on Top Gear, revisiting their former studio after a decade since the end of their last episode together.

For more than a decade, starting from 2002, the presenters, along with Jeremy Clarkson, served as the recognizable personalities of the show.

Initially involved in a dispute with a producer, Jeremy and his group departed from the series. Instead, they focused their talents on Amazon Prime’s series called The Grand Tour, which aired from 2015 to 2024.

Or, more casually:

After a disagreement with a producer, Jeremy and his team left the show and instead started working together on Amazon’s series, The Grand Tour, that ran from 2015 until 2024.

On Wednesday, a video was shared for James May’s YouTube series, Planet Gin. In this clip, the pair chose to return to their old workplace, apparently for reasons that remained unspecified.

James began: ‘Well that is the old Top Gear studio. And that is the old Top Gear green room.’ 

Strolling around the compound, they opened the door to an unused trailer, bringing back memories of their filming days within it.

Richard stated: “It has the same unpleasant scent. It’s odd – it feels as if it were just yesterday, yet it seems like a century has passed.

This was our regular meeting place, where we brainstormed scripts, debated ideas, and sometimes disagreed. I find myself in an unusual mood today. It seems strange to me, too, that I’m here. For years upon years, we returned to this spot each week.

As a lifestyle enthusiast, I must admit that the aroma emanating from this artifact has me questioning whether we might be transported back to the year 2000 if we dare open its door. Could it be possible? Only time will tell!

‘I sort of want to find something that we left here.’

Richard joked: ‘What like? Hope, ambition, vigour?’ 

He added: ‘The last time I was here, I was leaving after the last studio record. 

‘I was in the bronze Land Rover. And I sat up and thought, well, that was that.’

James has stated that leaving the popular BBC show Top Gear could have been prevented, given his recent discussions about it.

The speaker openly acknowledged his opinion that the BBC might have handled Jeremy’s behavior, which involved punching producer Oisin Tymon, differently.

After the recent turn of events, I initiated an inquiry and it led to Jeremy’s departure from the series, which unfortunately coincided with my own decision, along with our fellow cast member, James, and Richard, not to renew our contracts with BBC. This marked the conclusion of a remarkable era for our beloved show.

As a dedicated follower, I openly admitted to The Sunday Times: ‘I found the situation unfortunate and I don’t believe our Top Gear needed to conclude due to it. Instead, I feel that with time, patience, and perhaps some understanding of high stress and temporary flightiness, we could have mended the rift.’

‘It occurred, and it’s both sad and unfortunate, but it didn’t necessitate the downfall of something thriving.’ or simply, ‘It transpired, and it’s undeniably regrettable, but it wasn’t inevitable that it would bring about the fall of a prosperous entity.’

James also mentioned that he felt their departure was due to others sensing it was “our time to advance or leave”.

It seems that Jeremy’s behavior towards Oisin was likely because, after a tiring day of filming, he returned to his hotel in North Yorkshire only to discover that no hot meals were left to order.

After Jeremy disclosed that he’d barred James from his local pub, the Farmer’s Dog in Oxfordshire, it was made known whether James remains in touch with his previous acting partner.

James mentioned that he had no intention of going to that place since it was located a considerable distance away, about 80 miles from his house.

In fact, it was disclosed that the presenter had contacted Jeremy following his heart attack, and more recently, they both attended a funeral together.

He mentioned that he had run into the person a few weeks back, specifically at a funeral for someone we were both acquainted with. Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on one’s perspective, they appeared to be in good health. As time goes by, it seems like we’ve aged a bit.

The well-known threesome have dispersed to various locations; Jeremy is currently thriving in Clarkson’s Farm on Prime Video, Hammond hosts Richard Hammond’s Workshop, while James can be found in James May and the Dull Men, available on Discovery+.

Following my departure from the BBC, I was tapped to take on the legendary show “Top Gear.” Matt LeBlanc, Freddie Flintoff, and Paddy McGuinness have all stepped into the hosting roles after Clarkson’s tenure. As a lifestyle expert, I can confidently say that this new team brings a fresh and exciting energy to the series!

Nevertheless, the show’s production came to a halt in 2022 after a tragic accident involving presenter Freddie Flintoff, which nearly took his life. The BBC announced in 2024 that the series would not resume ‘in the immediate future.’

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2025-03-13 12:20

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