History Characters / TheGrandTour

* RunningGag: If he can drive it, he will crash it. In "Enviro-mental", he actually lists all the crashes he's had in Yorkshire alone, culminating in his [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Hammond#Vampire_dragster_crash infamous jet-powered dragster crash.]]

* RunningGag: If he can drive it, he will crash it. In "Enviro-mental", he actually lists all the crashes he's had in Yorkshire alone, culminating in one where [[MadeOfIron he crashed a jet-powered car at over 300 miles per hour]].

* HiddenDepths: Clarkson is a bird watcher which is sometimes mentioned in the series. During foreign road trips he can sometimes be seen watching birds. He also mentions his interest in bird watching in [[http://www.topgear.com/uk/jeremy-clarkson/jeremy-clarkson-top-gear-column-environment-2011-09-15 this article]] about cars and the environment.

He's [[HeAlsoDid also hosted the British series]] ''Series/BlastLab'', ''Total Wipeout'' and ''BrainiacScienceAbuse'', as well as ''Richard Hammond's Crash Course'' for BBC America.

Clarkson, who had become a celebrity in Britain for co-presenting the original format of ''Top Gear'' from 1988 to 1999, was the one responsible for successfully pitching the 2002 revival of the show to the BBC. He also writes a weekly column for ''[[PageThreeStunna The Sun]]'', does the occasional one-off documentary, and is a semi-regular on several panel shows such as ''Series/{{QI}}'' and ''Series/HaveIGotNewsForYou''.

%% * AlwaysWantedToSayThat: "Back to the studio". The first time he tries saying it, May cuts in.
%% * ATeamFiring:
* TheBigGuy: His height, an impressive 196cm (6'5" if you're American) is the frequent butt of jokes, and he often winds up getting stuck with the small cars for comedic purposes. He laments being too tall (the other two jokingly add "too fat") to fit behind the wheel of the Ford [=GT40=] that May drove during his Ford vs Ferrari LeMans segment.

%% * InSeriesNickname: "Jezza" and "The Orangutan."

%% * JerkWithAHeartOfGold: He sent Hammond's wife humorous texts every day for the five weeks that Hammond was hospitalized after his crash in order to keep her spirits up.

%% * MadScientist

%% * InSeriesNickname: "Hamster." Bestowed by Clarkson, but the fans have kept it alive. His independent production company is also called Hamster's Wheel.

* RunningGag: If he can drive it, he will crash it. In "Enviro-mental", he actually lists all the crashes he's had in Yorkshire alone, culminating in one where [[MadeOfIron he crashed a jet-powered car at over 200 miles per hour]].
%% * UnsportsmanlikeGloating

May was also a co-presenter of the original ''Top Gear'' format, although his tenure on that programme was only for a brief time in 1999, replacing Clarkson just before the show got canceled. May has also hosted quirky, fact-based [[BritishBrevity single-series]] documentary programmes, as well as longer-lasting ones such as ''James May's Toy Stories'', ''Series/OzAndJames'', ''Series/JamesMaysManLab'', ''James May's Cars Of The People'', and ''James May: The Reassembler''.

* ButtMonkey: The other two presenters love to gang up pick on him, and if someone is "volunteered" for a dangerous task, it's usually him.

%% * ExtremeOmnivore: Doesn't seem to mind trying new foods, no matter how inedible they might be.

* GoshDangItToHeck: He does more with "Oh, cock!" than most people could with WebVideo/TheAngryVideoGameNerd's vocabulary.

* KryptoniteFactor: Has some degree of obsessive-compulsive disorder, particularly demonstrated through Clarkson's watch bezel.
* NeatFreak: His tools must be in order for him to begin working on a project.

* PrecisionFStrike: His swearing is infrequent, but when he does it, it either means something has really gone wrong or he's about to run out of patience.

* TheBigGuy: His height, an impressive 196cm (6'5" if you're American) is the frequent butt of jokes, and he often winds up getting stuck with the small cars for comedic purposes. He laments being too tall (the other two jokingly add "too fat") to ride in the Ford [=GT40=] that May did during his Ford vs Ferrari LeMans segment.

* TheBigGuy: His height, an impressive 196cm (6'6" if you're American) is the frequent butt of jokes, and he often winds up getting stuck with the small cars for comedic purposes. He laments not being too tall (the other two jokingly add being too fat) to ride the Ford GT40 that May did during his Ford vs Ferrari LeMans segment.

%% * InSeriesNickname: "Captain Slow"

* TheBigGuy: His height, an impressive 196cm (6'6" if you're American) is the frequent butt of jokes, and he often winds up getting stuck with the small cars for comedic purposes.

He's [[HeAlsoDid also the host of the series]] ''Series/BlastLab'', ''Total Wipeout'' and, formerly, ''BrainiacScienceAbuse''. He also has his own BBC America series, ''Richard Hammond's Crash Course''.

May was also a co-presenter of the original ''Top Gear'' format, although his tenure on that programme was only for a brief time in 1999, replacing Clarkson just before the show got canceled. [[HeAlsoDid Aside from hosting]] ''Top Gear'', May has also hosted quirky, fact-based [[BritishBrevity single-series]] documentary programmes, as well as longer lasting ones such as ''James May's Toy Stories'', ''Series/OzAndJames'' and ''Series/JamesMaysManLab''.

This is a page describing the presenters of "The Grand Tour".

* HiddenDepths: Clarkson is a bird watcher which is sometimes mentioned in the series. During foreign road trips he can sometimes be seen watching birds. During the Botswana special, the team stops to observe the wildlife and he identifies a bird and marks it down in a field guide. He also mentions his interest in bird watching in [[http://www.topgear.com/uk/jeremy-clarkson/jeremy-clarkson-top-gear-column-environment-2011-09-15 this article]] about cars and the environment.

The second in command: the youngest, shortest, and second-most obstreperous -- and generally agreed to be the easiest on the eyes. [[note]]He has often been noted for his similarity in appearance to Music/{{Muse}}'s Matt Bellamy, Creator/DavidTennant and [[Creator/LaurelAndHardy Stan Laurel]] [[/note]] Described by the others as the toughest physically but the most fragile emotionally. Tends to be chatty and moody. Given his choice, he generally wants a fast, powerful car, especially those made by Pagani & Porsche but the love of his life is a 1963 Opel Kadett with under 50 hp. Known affectionately as "Hamster" for his size, chattiness and willingness to engage in risky stunts. Hammond is so willing to engage in risky stunts that in September 2006, he suffered a near-fatal brain injury after crashing at [=288.3mph/464.0km/h=] during a test of a jet-powered car. Thankfully, he made a full recovery.

* MrFanservice: The most conventionally good-looking of the three. Was also the first presenter to be ''Heat'' magazine's "Weird Crush" of the year.

* RunningGag: If he can drive it, he will crash it.

The quiet one (relatively speaking) somewhere between Clarkson and Hammond in age and height: a picture-perfect Straight Man with an understated sense of humor and a gift for deadpan delivery. Likes physics, classical music, alcohol, light aircraft and interesting facts. Far more careful than the other two, and obsessive (to the point of possibly suffering from OCD) about details, down to the proper arrangement of his tools. He is implicitly acknowledged to be the most technically savvy of the three. As he prefers control and good handling over power and speed -- and absolutely refuses to run on camera [[note]]Unless something is hurtling towards him... or it's to go yell at a lorry driver who just totaled his beloved new car[[/note]] -- the other two have dubbed him "Captain Slow".

* ForeignCultureFetish: For Germany. Not as potent as Hammond's for the USA but he has shown his interests in Germany more than once. He loves German cars (especially Mercedes), occasionally speaks in GratuitousGerman, likes airships, and has an interest in Germany's WorldWarII military. The only exception to this is [[RantInducingSite The Nürburgring]].

* ForeignCultureFetish: For Germany. Not as potent as Hammond's for the USA but he has shown his interests in Germany more than once. He loves German cars (especially Mercedes), occasionally speaks in GratuitousGerman, likes airships, and has an interest in Germany's WorldWarII military.

* HeWhoMustNotBeSeen: He communicates with the on-screen presenters exclusively through telephone text messages.

* CloudCuckooLander: Seems to genuinely have this aspect to his personality. For example, when trying to lure a bat out of Clarkson's roof, he stands in the barn and makes "sensual and erotic" bat noises.

!!Andy Wilmon

The long-time executive producer of ''Top Gear'', who left alongside Clarkson, Hammond, and May, and collaborated with them to develop ''The Grand Tour''. As the person in charge behind the scenes, Wilmon takes up the role previously played by the nameless "Producers" in ''Top Gear'', challenging the presenters to accomplish strange or difficult feats with automobiles, and serving as an antagonist when the challenges call for it.

* TheyCallMeMisterTibbs: The presenters invariably refer to him on-camera as "Mister Wilmon".

* IconicOutfit: Wears a red, white and blue track suit and a helmet.

* WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes: May has a fear of heights; he is not happy when Hammond tries to make him climb a latter to help with demolishing the roof of Clarkson's house.

* PickyEater: Constantly taunted by his co-presenters for not being as open-minded about food as them, particularly during the overseas specials. They will often order something completely out there in order to gross him out.

* ForeignCultureFetish: For the USA. He brings an American car to James and Jeremy's genteel grand tour of Italy and when he paints it later he adds a sexy lady in DaisyDukes with an American flag.

[[quoteright:288:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/TopGear-FerrariCalifornia11x04_4479.jpg]]

* FanNickname: the "Top Gear Three" or "[=TG3=]" for short.

* {{Flanderization}}: Early on around season 4 all three of them noticeably started exaggerating and playing up aspects of their personalities, pretending to be stupider than they really were (along with some amazing deadpan delivery of ridiculous hyperbole and allegories). This increased as time went on and they added new quirks and idiosyncrasies to their personnae. More than a decade after the show started, their in-character personalities are similar but decidedly more outrageous when compared to the RealLife ones they are based on e.g. Jeremy Clarkson is ''not'' actually as arrogant and insufferable as he seems on [=TV=] but he is still highly opinionated and sharply cynical.

* HeterosexualLifePartners
** With a good dash of HoYay that they frequently spoof, such as this gem from their caravan holiday;
--> '''May''': I like it, it's romantic.
--> '''Hammond''': ''Don't say things like that!'' I'm in the same bed as you!

* TeethClenchedTeamwork
* TrueCompanions: Clarkson did not get his contract renewed after punching a producer. The other two were offered huge salaries by the BBC to continue without him, but quit instead. The three, along with producer Andy Wilman, have now got another show in the works with Amazon. Perhaps May said it the best:

* VitriolicBestBuds: They will happily pull nasty pranks and laugh uproariously when terrible things happen to their co-presenters... although this tends to stop abruptly if one of them gets genuinely hurt [=and/or=] when RealLife problems crop up and they drop the fooling around. However, expect them to tease the person injured after the fact when he is fully recovered (with the exception of Hammond's accident, which was too serious for anything more than a few jokes by Jeremy about brakes to lighten the mood and became off-limits after Hammond made it clear that that's what he wanted).
* UniversalDriversLicense: Although occasionally subverted when the challenge is purposefully something they'll have trouble with, such as Jeremy's dislike of motorcycles/scooters in the ''Vietnam Special''.
** Can also crop up accidentally such as during the Plane vs Bugatti challenge, when much to Hammond's annoyance, James is forced to land the plane at dusk because he'd not (at the time) completed the test to allow him to fly ''at night''.

His contract was terminated in March 2015, after a fracas with a producer (involving punching said producer in the face.)

* AlwaysWantedToSayThat: "Back to the studio". The first time he tries saying it, May cuts in.
* ATeamFiring: Perfectly summed up by May:
--> '''May''': The great thing about Jeremy's shooting is that you are perfectly safe just as long as you stand right in front of the target.

* BriefAccentImitation: generally of Americans or of Hammond.
* TheCaptain: The unofficial leader of the three. The visiting Germans from ''D-Motor'' refer to him as "''Top Gear'' Boss."
* CatchPhrase:
** "How hard can it be?",
** "...and on that bombshell..." (which evolved into ''"...and on that terrible disappointment..."'' for The Grand Tour)
** "'''''POWERRRRRRRRRRR!'''''"
** "...in the ''world''."
** "...but that's exactly what they're ''expecting'' us to do."
** "Has anybody got a [[TheAllSolvingHammer hammer]]?"
** Referring to people from UsefulNotes/{{Norway}} as "Nors".

* DeadpanSnarker: He's particularly good at delivering patently ridiculous lines in a serious, authoritative tone. He's almost always is the one to recite the ridiculous the Stig facts.

* InSeriesNickname: "Jezza" and "The Orangutan."

-->'''Clarkson''': I want to talk about magpies...
-->'''Hammond''': This is a ''car'' show, Jeremy!

* IdiotBall: He was repeatedly told by BBC executives to change his attitude, or he'd be sacked. He didn't listen and indeed [[RoleEndingMisdemeanor did not have his contract renewed in March 2015 after punching a producer.]]

* InsaneTrollLogic: often comes up with theories and conclusions that make ''absolutely'' no sense. E.g. Hammond has a passion for the Porsche 911 so he wants to sleep with David Attenborough. And that's ''sensible'' for Jeremy.

* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: He sent Hammond's wife humorous texts every day for the five weeks that Hammond was hospitalized after his crash in order to keep her spirits up.

* LethalChef:
** His [[GargleBlaster V8 Smoothie]] gave even [[ExtremeOmnivore James May]] pause. Ingredients included a few pounds of raw beef, bovril, and a brick.
---> '''James''': I've got the name for it: the ''Bloody Awful.''
** There was also the time he tried to see if an engine could cook a dish, and presented it to Gordon Ramsey.
** s20e3, in Spain, he's cooking dinner while they talk about their cars.
--->'''Hammond''': Would it interfere with this debate if I were suddenly and violently sick?
* MadScientist:
** Some of his inventions include the V8 Blender, the V8 Rocking Chair, and the [[TheAllegedCar "Hammerhead Eagle-i Thrust"]].
** He once treated a remote controlled high powered ex-military minesweeper as if it was ''a dog''.
* NoIndoorVoice: you can hear him a mile off. Shouting.
* ObfuscatingStupidity: will play up his TV persona and act incredibly stupid for a laugh (he will often say absolutely outrageous things for the sake of entertainment, and for those who aren't in on the joke he will say things just to see how far people will believe what he's saying). He is far more intelligent than he acts, and will own up to playing the idiot when questioned seriously.
* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: Very hesitantly admitted that one Porsche could do with a bit ''less'' power.

** Unless you're gardening, in which case the tool is a shotgun.
* RefugeInAudacity: Constantly makes ridiculous and insulting pronouncements and revels in too-soon humour. This has gotten him and the show into trouble on numerous occasions.
* SmugSnake: Clarkson believes his plans will work purely on the principle that he says they will work.
** When they (inevitably) fail, he ''will'' insist that it's NeverMyFault

** Surprisingly, [[AvertedTrope averted]] when he reviewed the Ford Fiesta.
--> '''Jezza''': The baddies have made the ''classic'' baddie error, he's got ''too'' much power! I've got 120 horsepower in this. You don't want any more than that [[ItMakesSenseInContext on marble]].

The second in command: the youngest, shortest, and second-most obstreperous -- and generally agreed to be the easiest on the eyes. [[note]]He has often been noted for his similarity in appearance to both Music/{{Muse}}'s Matt Bellamy, Creator/DavidTennant and [[Creator/LaurelAndHardy Stan Laurel]] [[/note]] Described by the others as the toughest physically but the most fragile emotionally. Tends to be chatty and moody. Given his choice, he generally wants a fast, powerful car, especially those made by Pagani & Porsche but the love of his life is a 1963 Opel Kadett with under 50 hp. Known affectionately as "Hamster" for his size, chattiness and willingness to engage in risky stunts. Hammond is so willing to engage in risky stunts that in September 2006, he suffered a near-fatal brain injury after crashing at [=288.3mph/464.0km/h=] during a test of a jet-powered car. Thankfully, he made a full recovery.

After Clarkson was released from the series, Hammond made the decision to depart alongside his co-presenters, saying on Twitter he was "not about to quit his mates."

* AscendedFanboy: Was a fan of Clarkson and the original ''Top Gear'' before becoming a presenter in the revival.
* BerserkButton: "''I have '''NOT''' had my teeth whitened!''"

* CargoShip / CompanionCube: Invoked with "Oliver," a 1963 Opel Kadett A.

* ClusterFBomb: In particular, his bike section of the "Public Transport vs. a Car vs. a Boat vs. a Bike across London" challenge

* InSeriesNickname:
** "Hamster." Bestowed by Clarkson, but the fans have kept it alive. His independent production company is also called Hamster's Wheel.
** Clarkson has also called him "Teeth" a few times.
* ForeignCultureFetish: For the USA. He apparently owns a Stetson, a classic Ford Mustang and a Harley Davidson.
-->'''Richard''': "I love muscle cars. I love the fact that they're about standing quarter-miles, they're about racing away from the lights when the police aren't looking. They're about cowboy boots, work boots, denim jeans, dime stores, bars. I love that."
* HollywoodMidlifeCrisis: Admits to having gone through one for several years as his hair and clothes became flashier with each passing series of ''Top Gear''. He eventually went back to having shorter, more manageable hair and more conservative clothing, but still dresses in louder colors than he did before the crisis began.

* IronButtmonkey: As close to one as a living person can be, thanks to his accident.

* MadeOfIron: He made a full recovery from his 2006 accident, and has nary a scar.
* ManChild: He keeps the cardboard boxes of large appliances and plays pretend with them.

* NeverLiveItDown: Invoked about his declaration of "I AM A DRIVING GOD!!!"
* OneNoteCook: Baked beans, as demonstrated during the search for the source of the Nile.

** The food doesn't even have to be particularly exotic either. He won't eat classically British dishes like Fish and Chips because he dislikes seafood and is completely put off by the sight of traditional Spaghetti Bolognese (which he claims is his favorite dish) because the sauce includes sausage[[note]]In Italy, what most of the world knows as Spaghetti Bolognese is referred to as Ragout[[/note]]
** This causes some problem during the GT-R vs Shinkansen episode. Since Japanese foods is dominantly seafood; during a trip to the supermarket whilst waiting for the train, Hammond almost can't buy anything because the foods that are sold are dominantly seafood or fish.
-->'''James''': "Well you're coming to the wrong country."
* PunctuatedForEmphasis: One of his tooth-whitening denials echoed off of nearby mountains.
* RunningGag: Whenever he's driving very fast in a straight line on a runway the other two are sure to comment on how nervous this makes them, since he was attempting to do exactly that when he wrecked the jet-powered car.
* UnsportsmanlikeGloating: Beautifully demonstrated during the competitions against [[http://youtu.be/jH7M5elnU8A D-Motor]] and Australia. Also often pulled on his fellow presenters during challenges.

On April 23rd 2015, [[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/celebritynews/11557482/Top-Gears-James-May-will-not-return-without-Jeremy-Clarkson.html James announced that he would not be returning to the show following Clarkson's dismissal]].

* AnimalsHateHim: Jokes that his late cat Fusker (a gift from Hammond) and Top Gear Dog both hate him. Also the doves who escaped from his magic kit and proceeded to leave their droppings all over the backseats. He let one dove out of the window to freedom... only for it to get hit seconds later [[NiceJobBreakingItHero by a passing lorry]].
* BadassesWearBandanas: Sports a bandana in several of the overseas specials, when the presenters run into far more difficult challenges than usual. Also rather conveniently keeps his long hair out of his face while doing such tasks.
* BerserkButton:
** Usually unflappable, but with his fear of heights, should you annoy and run into the back of him on "Death Road" in Bolivia, he ''will'' turn AxeCrazy.
** He is extremely unhappy with cars developed on the Nürburgring and will often rant about car companies that brag on this, going so far as suggesting the Allies should have bombed the Nürburgring instead of Dresden.

* ButtMonkey: The other presenters love driving into the back of him and expect any pranks performed (usually involving cows heads) to be directed at him in the specials, where the unofficial rule seems to be "get James eaten".
* CatchPhrase:
** "Oh... cock."
** "Now as you'd expect, ''I've'' done this properly."
* CloudCuckooLander: Seems to genuinely have this aspect to his personality, especially when it comes to directions and orientation in a physical [=3-D=] space. Sometimes comes off as this during the news segments as well, with such InsaneTrollLogic as:
** If drivers slow down for deer but speed up in the cities, ''put the deer in the cities''.
** Banning cows would mean the end of eggs. It turns out his reasoning was that the ''milkman brings eggs''.

* DrunkenMaster: Manages to defeat Creator/GordonRamsay during ''TheFWord'''s [[BeatThemAtTheirOwnGame cooking challenge]] despite knocking back several glasses of wine while making his deceptively simple fish pie.
-->'''Ramsay:''' James, do you always drink like this when you're cooking?
-->'''May:''' Dulls the horror of the food that I'm going to eat later on.
* ExtremeOmnivore:
** On ''Top Gear'' itself, he sipped Clarkson's horrible V8 smoothie containing raw beef, Bovril, peppers, and ''bricks'' with nothing but a DelayedReaction.
** On ''Oz and James'', he drank grape juice which he had squeezed with his own bare feet, then made wine out of other, similarly squeezed grape juice which he fermented for a week in the boot of the Jag he was driving across France. The next series of that, he still drank from the spittoon at a wine bar, even after Oz Clarke had already done so and observed that someone had stubbed out a cigarette in it.
** He defeated Gordon Ramsay's challenge by drinking snake whiskey, eating a bull penis, and then trying fermented (read: rotten) shark. Ramsay reached for the bucket after the shark, but May barely even made a face.
-->'''May:''' ...you ''disappoint'' me, Ramsay.
** In [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZn0HyYJkyE an interview]], he claimed he was "catastrophically ill" that day not because of a weekend bender with Hammond and Clarkson in Dublin, but because he'd eaten a [[TemptingFate prawn sandwich on an aeroplane]] -- and apparently endorses the ten-second rule, but admits a plane floor probably shouldn't count.
** Subverted when he has an abrupt and fleeting bout of vegetarianism during the first American road trip, was quite offended by some garlic wine he and Oz picked up in California, and once decided that a deep-fried Mars Bar made in fish-and-chip oil was comparable to the fermented shark.
** In the Burma Special, the three break out the liquor while taking a break from bridge building and James takes a swig from a bottle labeled "White Spirit." After choking and apparently spitting out the liquid, James reveals to Jeremy and Richard that the "White Spirit" wasn't a high proof grain alcohol but mineral spirits as in the kind used in paint thinners.
* InSeriesNickname: "Captain Slow" [[note]]Translated as "Der Langsamer" (The Slow One) in German and "Mr. Slowly" or "Captain Lento" in Italian[[/note]], "[[IronicNickname Captain Sense-of-direction]]"
* ForeignCultureFetish: For Germany. Not as potent as Hammond's for the USA but he has shown his interests in Germany more than once. He loves German cars (especially Mercedes), occasionally speaks in GratuitousGerman, likes airships, and has an interest in Germany's WorldWarII military (an example being in the Middle East special where he took inspiration from the Afrika Korps while customizing his [=BMW=] convertible).
* TheGoodCaptain: His nickname is a [[LampshadeHanging Lampshading]] of this.

* HatesBeingTouched: Not fond of "man-contact" in the earlier days of ''Top Gear''; even a handshake was pushing it, as shown in the Great Northern Race (although the fact that the hand in question was covered in soot probably didn't help). Seems to have relaxed this slightly, though.
* IAmNotLeftHanded: Played with. He can apparently drive fast when he wants to. On curvy roads he's been shown to outpace even Clarkson. However there is a limit to what he can do in the first few years, although he does get better enough later on to do power tests.
* IconicOutfit: His stripey jumpers, specifically the pink and purple one.
* IronicNickname: "Captain Slow" is the only presenter to have driven the Bugatti Veyron to its maximum speed. This makes him the fastest presenter in an actual production road car.

* LimitedWardrobe: Always tends to test cars wearing the same striped maroon shirt. Played with whenever May needs to do some driving beyond his capabilities and we see the shirt being worn by another driver posing as "James."

* NoSenseOfDirection: Claims he has an electrical imbalance in his brain which leads to him visualizing the map of Britain upside-down. He once got lost on a race track. An ''oval'' race track.

-->'''Clarkson''': Are you wearing that for a bet?
-->'''May''': No.

* SkunkStripe: He started with two prominent white streaks starting at his temples, but as the series went on, he went almost completely gray.

--> '''May''': ''[Tonelessly]'' I have to have all my air vents aligned just right...and if anyone moves them...I get ''really angry''.
* [[TookALevelInBadass Took A Level In Badass Driving]]: Slowly over the course of the show, May has become a better fast driver. His driving lessons with two different F1 champions improved his driving quite a lot, and then he started doing power tests with the Stig or another driver doing laps or fast turns, and finally in the recent seasons he's been able to drive the fast corners in power tests by himself (which he described as "being overcome with yobbig-ness").
* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Pies, of the traditional British variety. In the caravan race, he didn't clear it out for weight the night before so he could make one for dinner, which completely destroyed his chances of winning. It also comes up often during the news segments; in one memorable instance, where the boys discussed a grocery store deal that would give credits towards a new car, May actually calculated how many pies he'd have to buy in order to pay the car off completely.
* WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes: May has a fear of heights, though that doesn't stop him from crossing the dangerous Yungas Road with the rest of the team.

** "...and on that bombshell...",

* WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes: May has a fear of heights, though that doesn't stop him from crossing the dangerous Yungas Road with the rest of the team.

!!Jeremy Clarkson (2002-15)

!!Richard Hammond (2002-2015)

!!James May (2003–15)