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Richard Hammond and James May revisit Top Gear studio after 10 years – reflecting on 'anxieties'

Time for a drive down memory lane.

Richard Hammond and James May on the set of Top Gear

James May's Planet Gin

Published: Thursday, 13 March 2025 at 12:49 pm

Former Top Gear presenters James May and Richard Hammond have taken a nostalgic trip to the disused set of the motoring programme, where they spent years presenting in front of a live studio audience.

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Their tenure on the show came to an abrupt end in 2015, but the trio later continued their collaboration on Prime Video's The Grand Tour.

The later series also came to an end just last year, with an emotional finale that saw the broadcasters return to a memorable location from their first Top Gear feature-length special.

Now, more memories are being revisited in a trip to the now-defunct Top Gear set, which Hammond and May took time to explore and recollect in a 15-minute video on May's Planet Gin YouTube channel. Watch here:

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To kick off, Hammond said: "I feel really odd being here. The last time I was here, I was leaving after the last studio record – I was in a bronze Land Rover – and I set off and thought, 'What was that?'"

Wandering around the back offices where they would plan out each show, the duo got thinking about the stress they felt just prior to recording, particularly as audience members came pouring in.

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"You'd think about what was in it," said Hammond. "If you had a really good film that you were pleased with, or there'd be a tricky bit in the news that you'd be dreading, or a really long complicated link that had a lot of stuff you'd have to remember."

May commented: "I think we did [get anxious], but I think we got used to it and that was just the way our lives were."

"Anxiety-ridden," Hammond added, later commenting: "How the hell did we get away with it for so long?"

Top Gear would ultimately be placed on an indefinite break after then-presenter Freddie Flintoff was seriously injured while filming a segment for the programme.

Read more:

Top Gear is available to stream on BBC iPlayer.

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Authors

Black and white cut-out portrait headshot of David Craig, smiling against a lime green background.

David CraigSenior Drama Writer

David Craig is the Senior Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest and greatest scripted drama and comedy across television and streaming. Previously, he worked at Starburst Magazine, presented The Winter King Podcast for ITVX and studied Journalism at the University of Sheffield.

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