James May is an English television presenter and journalist who is very popular for being a presenter on the motoring program, Top Gear with other presenters such as Jeremy Clarkson and , for more than 12 years. When James graduated from Lancaster University, he worked for a short while at a hospital in Chelsea where he was a record officer and also spent some time in civil service. James May spent his early years as a journalist. He worked as a sub-editor for Autocar Magazine and The Engineer. While working in Autocar Magazine, James May performed a prank that led to his dismissal. He then became a writer and author. He started by writing for publications such as Top Gear Magazine and Car Magazine. James wrote a weekly column for The Daily Telegraph‘s motoring section. He also wrote the book May on Motors in 2006, co-authored the book Oz and James’s Big Wine Adventure in 2006, and wrote the afterword to Long Lane with Turnings which was published at the end of 2006 by L.J.K. Setright, who is a motoring writer.
James May has several television credits including presenting Driven on Channel 4 in 1998 and co-hosting the ITV1 coverage of the London Boat Show in 2006. After the program Top Gear ended in 2015, James May became a presenter for The Grand Tour which was released by Amazon video. He presented alongside the former presenters on Top Gear, Hammond, and Clarkson. He is the co-owner and director of the production company W. Chump & Sons which was founded in July 2015.
Sun Sign
Capricorn
Residence
Hammersmith, London, England, United Kingdom
Nationality
Education
James May attended Caerleon Endowed Junior School in Newport, Wales. He also attended Pendle College, Lancaster University in Lancaster, Lancashire, England.
Manager
James May is represented by Arlington Enterprises Ltd.
Girlfriend / Spouse
James May has dated –
- Sarah Frater (2000) – Sarah Frater is a dance critic. James May began dating Sarah in the year 2000, and they live together in Hammersmith, London.
Sexual Orientation
Straight
Distinctive Features
- Long Hair
- Tall height
Best Known For
- Presenting in several programs including those on themes such as science and technology, toys, wine culture, and the plight of manliness in modern times which deviates from his regular focus on motoring
- Being the director of the production company W. Chump & Sons and also the co-presenter in the television series The Grand Tour
First TV Show
James May made his first TV show appearance as Himself on the documentary series, Driven in 1998.
James May Favorite Things
- Snack – Hoola Hoops (beef flavor)
Source – ,
James May Facts
- He obtained his aircraft pilot’s license in October 2006.
- He owns several cars. Some of them include Ferrari 458, Jaguar XJS, Porsche Boxter S, Fiat Panda, Bentley T2, Range Rover, and a Mini Cooper.
- James May studied music at the Pendle College, Lancaster University where he also learned how to play the piano and flute. May also plays the saxophone proficiently.
- James was fired from his job on Autocar because of a prank he played. In 1992, when the end of the year magazine Road Test Year Book was released, every spread had 4 reviews, each featured in red letters. James May’s job was a tedious one which involved putting the whole book together. James May wrote each review such that it felt like a puzzle. The first 4 spreads read “Road Test Year Book”, and the subsequent tests were made up of random letters. When the letters were put together and punctuation was added, it read “So you think it’s really good, yeah? You should try making the bloody thing up; it’s a real pain in the arse.” He was dismissed from the job because of it.
- He suffers from Acrophobia (fear of heights).
- He rarely plays musical instruments in public.
- James May grew up in South Wales and South Yorkshire, near Sheffield in England.
- He drives a BMW i3 regularly.
- James May said that he reached a top speed of 259.2 mph behind the wheel of a Bugatti Veyron Super Sports at the Volkswagen Group’s test track in Ehra-Lessien, Germany when asked about the fastest speed he’d ever driven in a car by Steve Kroft.
- He became the first person to travel to the magnetic north pole with a car along with the co-presenter of Top Gear, using a modified Toyota Hilux.
- James May presented a documentary known as Inside Killer Sharks, for Sky and James May’s 20th Century, investigating inventions.
- James May created his own YouTube channel, known as “JM’s unemployment tube”, in 2015 several months after Top Gear was postponed by the BBC and Jeremy Clarkson left the job. It improved his internet presence and gained him more followers. On his YouTube channel, he posted videos relating to science, technology, history, and current affairs.
- James May and his former Top Gear presenters launched a social network for motoring fans called “DriveTribe” in 2016.
- James May also spent a part of his career creating motoring toy stories. In 2009, he presented a television series that involved displaying favorite toys of the past era, whether, and how they can be applied in the modern day.
- In his toy stories, May created a motorcycle and sidecar which were both functional, life-size and also constructed from the construction toy “Meccano”.
- James May was flown to the stratosphere, up to 70,000 ft in a US Air Force plane while he presented the documentary on BBC Four titled James May at the Edge of Space.
- James May has explored the science realm in some of his shows including James May’s Man Lab, To Space & Back, and James May’s Big Ideas.
- Follow James May on and .
Featured Image by Karen / / CC BY-2.0
Facts of James Daniel May
- Gender Male
- full nameJames Daniel May
- middle nameDaniel
- nicknamesCaptain Slow
- birthplaceBristol, England, United Kingdom
- Date of Birth January 16, 1963
- Age 61 years 7 months
- Horoscope Capricorn
- Lucky Number 9
- Lucky Stone Topaz
- Lucky Color Brown
- Best Match for Marriage Scorpio, Virgo, Taurus
- ethnicity / ethnic backgroundEnglish
- nationalityAmerican
- net worth$25 million
- professionTelevision Presenter, Author, Columnist, Journalist
- weight93 kg or 205 lbs
- height5 ft 11¾ in or 182 cm
- hair colorSalt and Pepper
- eye colorLight Blue
- body type / buildAverage
- collegeLancaster University
- motherKathleen May
- fatherJames May Sr.
- sistersSarah May, Jane May