Richard Hammond and James May, formerly of The Grand Tour, seem to have been struck by a wave of nostalgia for their days in automotive broadcasting.
The reasons remain unclear, but the duo recently made a sentimental return to the Top Gear studio, nearly ten years after they departed the renowned BBC program to start their new venture on Amazon Prime Video.
In a recent video on May’s YouTube channel, Hammond and May were seen revisiting the Dunsfold Aerodrome in Surrey, which houses the famous Top Gear racetrack among other facilities.
Walking through their old stomping grounds, the pair displayed genuine emotion as they reminisced about their 12-year tenure on the program that made them household names, alongside Jeremy Clarkson.
“Oh my God, this place was a huge part of our lives for so many years,” remarked Hammond as they approached the building that served multiple purposes including their production office, writers’ room, green room, and make-up area.
“It feels like it was just yesterday, yet it feels like a century ago,” he continued. May commented that their tour around the studio was “slightly unsettling,” particularly due to the old, musty odor lingering in the air.
“I have to admit, this has been a truly nostalgic trip,” Hammond expressed. May responded, “I’m glad we did it, but part of me wishes we hadn’t.”
Hammond and May exited Top Gear in 2015 following the dismissal of Clarkson by the BBC after his altercation with producer Oisin Tymon. Since then, the BBC has placed the show on indefinite hiatus after host Andrew “Freddie” Flintoff was severely injured in a filming accident in 2022.
Daniel Hayes is a business journalist with a focus on market trends, startups, and corporate strategies.
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