James May is famously terrified of ladders. On his first day of filming, did he use one? Of course not.
He is also a self-described Captain Slow. He once drove a car at 170 mph while complaining about the fuel consumption. It was brilliantly contradictory.
Top Gear's Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May to reunite on
His first proper segment on the revived show? Reviewing a Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren. It was a serious, detailed review. But he looked like a schoolteacher who’d wandered onto a race track.
The Unseen Chemistry
The magic didn’t happen overnight. For the first few episodes, May was the new guy. Clarkson and Hammond had a built-in friendship.
But slowly, James found his role. He was the voice of reason. The one who would actually read the instruction manual.
He was the one who would look at Clarkson and say, “You’re an ape.” That line became legendary.
