Richard Hammond

Hammond with James May and Jeremy Clarkson at Top Gear Live Italia in 2014

Hammond became a presenter on Top Gear in 2002, when the show began in its revamped format. He is sometimes referred to as "The Hamster" by fans and his co-presenters on Top Gear due to his name and relatively small stature compared to May and Clarkson.[8] His nickname was further reinforced when on three occasions in series 7, he ate cardboard,[9] mimicking hamster-like behaviour.

Following a high-speed dragster crash while filming in September 2006 near York, Hammond returned in the first episode of series 9 (broadcast on 28 January 2007) to a hero's welcome, complete with dancing girls, aeroplane-style stairs and fireworks. The show also contained images of the crash, which had made international headlines, with Hammond talking through the events of the day after which the audience broke into spontaneous applause. Hammond then requested that the crash never be mentioned on the show again, though all three Top Gear presenters have since referred to it in jokes during the news segment of the programme. He told his colleagues, "The only difference between me now, and before the crash, is that I like celery now and I didn't before".[10]

Following the BBC's decision not to renew Clarkson's contract with the show on 25 March 2015,[11] Hammond's contract expired on 31 March.[12] In April he ruled out the possibility of continuing to present Top Gear, commenting via Twitter that "amidst all this talk of us 'quitting' or not: there's nothing for me to 'quit' not about to quit my mates anyway".[13] On 12 June 2015 the BBC confirmed that Top Gear would return with a 75-minute special, combining two unseen challenges featuring all three presenters from series 22, with studio links from Hammond and May. It aired in the UK on BBC Two on 28 June at 8 p.m, and in the United States on BBC America on 13 July at 9 p.m.

During filming of a Top Gear segment at the former RAF Elvington airbase near York on 20 September 2006, Hammond was injured in the crash of the jet-powered car he was piloting.[14][15][16]^:1 He was travelling at 319 mph (513 km/h) at the time of the crash.[17]

His vehicle, a dragster called Vampire, was theoretically capable of travelling at speeds of up to 370 mph (595 km/h).[15] The vehicle was the same car that in 2000, piloted by Colin Fallows, set the British land speed record at 300.3 mph (483.3 km/h).[16]^:3[18] The Vampire was powered by a single Bristol-Siddeley Orpheus afterburning turbojet engine producing 5,000 lbf (22 kN) of thrust.[19]

Some accounts suggested that the accident occurred during an attempt to break the British land speed record,[14][20] but the Health and Safety Executive report on the crash found that a proposal to try to officially break the record was vetoed in advance by Top Gear executive producer Andy Wilman, due to the risks and complexities of such a venture.[16]^:4 The report stated: "Runs were to be carried out in only one direction along a pre-set course on the Elvington runway. Vampire’s speed was to be recorded using GPS satellite telemetry. The intention was to record the maximum speed, not to measure an average speed over a measured course, and for (Hammond) to describe how it felt."[16]^:1

Hammond was completing a seventh and final run to collect extra footage for the programme when his front-right tyre failed,[16]^:8[21] and, according to witness and paramedic Dave Ogden, "one of the parachutes had deployed but it went on to the grass and spun over and over before coming to a rest about 100 yards from us."[22] The emergency crew quickly arrived at the car, finding it inverted and partially embedded in the grass.[20] During the roll, Hammond's helmet had embedded itself into the ground, flipping the visor up and forcing soil into his mouth and damaging his left eye. Rescuers felt a pulse and heard the unconscious Hammond breathing before the car was turned upright.[20] Hammond was cut free with hydraulic shears, and placed on a backboard.[16]^:9 "He was regaining consciousness at that point and said he had some lower back pain".[20] He was then transported by the Yorkshire Air Ambulance to the neurological unit of the Leeds General Infirmary.[14][16]^:9[23] Hammond's family visited him at the hospital along with Top Gear co-presenters James May and Jeremy Clarkson.[22][23] Clarkson wished Hammond well, saying "Both James and I are looking forward to getting our 'Hamster' back", referring to Hammond by his nickname.[14][22] For five weeks while Hammond was recovering in hospital, Clarkson sent a funny message to Mindy, Hammond's wife, every day to try to keep her going. Hammond thought if everyone found out, Clarkson would "die of shame" "cos it makes him look soppy".[24]

The Health & Safety Executive report stated that "Hammond's instantaneous reaction to the tyre blow-out seems to have been that of a competent high performance car driver, namely to brake the car and to try to steer into the skid. Immediately afterwards he also seems to have followed his training and to have pulled back on the main parachute release lever, thus shutting down the jet engine and also closing the jet and afterburner fuel levers. The main parachute did not have time to deploy before the car ran off the runway."[16]^:13 The HSE notes that, based on the findings of the North Yorkshire Police (who investigated the crash), "the accident may not have been recoverable", even if Hammond's efforts to react were as fast as "humanly possible".[16]^:13

Hammond made his first TV appearance since the crash on the BBC chat show Friday Night with Jonathan Ross on 22 December, just three months after the incident, where he revealed he was in a severe coma for two weeks and afterwards suffered from post-traumatic amnesia and a five-second memory.[25] Despite saying he was "absolutely fixed" on the Jonathan Ross episode, in 2011, while talking to the Daily Mirror, Hammond admitted he had no memory of the interview, saying: "I lost a year. I don’t remember doing the interview with Jonathan Ross or doing Top Gear Live in South Africa" showing the full impact of his brain injury 5 years before.[26]

The crash was shown on an episode of Top Gear on 28 January 2007 (Season 9, Episode 1); this was the first episode of the new series, which had been postponed pending Hammond's recovery. Hammond requested at the end of the episode that his fellow presenters never mention the crash again, a request which has been generally observed, although occasional oblique references have been made by all three presenters. On The Edge: My Story, which contains first-hand accounts from both Hammond and his wife about the crash, immediate aftermath, and his recovery, was published later that year.

In February 2008, Hammond gave an interview to The Sunday Times newspaper in which he described the effects of his brain injuries and the progression of his recovery.[27] He reported suffering loss of memory, depression and difficulties with emotional experiences, for which he was consulting a psychiatrist.[27][28] He also talked about his recovery in a 2010 television programme where he interviewed Sir Stirling Moss and they discussed the brain injuries they had both received as a result of car crashes.[29]

In 2003, Hammond became the first presenter of Brainiac: Science Abuse; he was joined by Jon Tickle and Charlotte Hudson in series 2.[30] After the fourth series it was announced that Hammond was no longer going to present the Sky1 show after he signed an exclusive deal with the BBC. Vic Reeves took his place as main presenter.[31]

Early in his career, as well as his radio work, Hammond presented a number of daytime lifestyle shows and motoring programmes such as Motor Week on Men & Motors.

He presented the Crufts dog show in 2005, the 2004 and 2005 British Parking Awards, and has appeared on School's Out, a quiz show on BBC One where celebrities answer questions about things they learned at school. He has also presented The Gunpowder Plot: Exploding The Legend.[32] Along with his work on Top Gear, he presented Should I Worry About...? on BBC One, Time Commanders on BBC Two and the first four series of Brainiac: Science Abuse on Sky 1. He was also a team captain on the BBC Two quiz show, Petrolheads, in which a memorable part was one where Hammond was tricked into bumping his classic Ferrari while trying to parallel park blindfolded in another car.

In 2006, Hammond fronted the Richard Hammond's 5 O'Clock Show with his co-presenter Mel Giedroyc. The programme, which discussed a wide range of topics, was shown every weekday on ITV between 17:00 and 18:00.

In July 2005, Hammond was voted one of the top 10 British TV talents.[33]

He presented Richard Hammond and the Holy Grail in 2006. During the special, he travelled to various locations around the world, including the Vatican Secret Archives, exploring the history of the Holy Grail.[34]

As part of Red Nose Day 2007, Hammond stood for nomination via a public telephone vote, along with Andy Hamilton and Kelvin MacKenzie, to be a one-off co-presenter of BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour on 16 March 2007.[35] However, he was defeated by Andy Hamilton.

In April 2007, Hammond presented a one off special on BBC Radio 2 for Good Friday followed by another in August 2007 for the bank holiday.[36]

Hammond driving a diesel BMW 3 Series in the 2007 Britcar 24 Hours, as part of an episode of Top Gear

Hammond recorded an interview with the famed American stuntman Evel Knievel, which aired on 23 December 2007 on BBC Two, and was Knievel's last interview before his death on 30 November 2007.[37]

In September 2008, Hammond presented the first episode of a new series; Richard Hammond's Engineering Connections on the National Geographic Channel.[38] In this show, Hammond discovered how the inventions of the past, along with assistance from nature, help designers today. Episodes include the building of the Airbus A380, Taipei 101 and the Keck Observatory.[38] Series 2 of Richard Hammond's Engineering Connections began in May 2010 and has included the building of the Wembley Stadium and the Sydney Opera House.

Hammond appeared in an advertisement for Morrisons supermarkets in 2008,[39] and joined the cast of TV show Ashes To Ashes for a special insert on the 2008 Children in Need special.

While in New Zealand for Top Gear Live 2009, Hammond filmed several television commercials for Telecom New Zealand's new XT UTMS mobile network. Telecom claimed that the new network was "faster in more places", compared to its competitors and its existing CDMA network. After the network suffered three highly publicised outages in late 2009 and early 2010, Hammond became the butt of a joke when he did not return to New Zealand for Top Gear Live 2010. His fellow Top Gear co-hosts said he was too embarrassed to come back to New Zealand, and in a supposed live feed back to Hammond, the feed suddenly drops out as the "XT Network had crashed".[40] Hammond was later given the right of reply to his colleagues during an interview with Marcus Lush on RadioLIVE's breakfast show in New Zealand.[41]

Hammond hosted the UK version of the US series Wipeout, called Total Wipeout for BBC One. It took place in Argentina, and was co-presented by Hammond and Amanda Byram. Hammond presented and performed the voiceover for the clips in a London studio, and Byram was filmed at the obstacle course in Buenos Aires.[42] The series was cancelled at the end of 2012.[43]

Hammond also presented a science-themed game show for children, Richard Hammond's Blast Lab which aired on BBC Two and CBBC.[44]

In March 2010, Hammond presented a three episode series called Richard Hammond's Invisible Worlds, which looked at things too fast for the naked eye to see, things that are beyond the visible spectrum (e.g., ultraviolet and infra-red light), as well as microscopic things.

One of Hammond's lesser known television roles was as presenter of the BBC Two gameshow Time Commanders, a sophisticated warfare simulator which used a modified version of Creative Assembly's Rome: Total War game engine.[45]

Since February 2011, Hammond has presented an online technology series Richard Hammond's Tech Head.[46] In July 2011, Hammond presented a two-part natural science documentary Richard Hammond's Journey to the Centre of the Planet, focused on Earth geology and plate tectonics.[47][48]

In April 2012, Hammond hosted a BBC America programme titled Richard Hammond's Crash Course,[49] which was also shown in the UK from September 2012[50] on BBC Two. In May 2012, Hammond co-presented an animal documentary for BBC One called Planet Earth Live alongside Julia Bradbury. The programme recorded animals living in extreme conditions.[51]

In June 2014, Hammond presented a scientific fourteen part series on National Geographic Channel titled Science of Stupid which focused on the application of physics in everyday life.[52] In December, Hammond presented a three-part science documentary for BBC One called Wild Weather with Richard Hammond which focuses on the hidden world of our Earth's extreme weather system.[53]

In September 2015, Hammond presented a two-part documentary for Sky 1 called Richard Hammond's Jungle Quest, supported by Sky Rainforest Rescue.[54]

In March 2017, whilst filming for The Grand Tour in Mozambique, Hammond fell off a motorbike. He reportedly hit his head and became unconscious; further details, however, will only be revealed in series two of the show.[55][56]

During the season finale of The Grand Tour season three, Hammond, James May and Jeremy Clarkson announced the current format was coming to the end and later announced that there would be two more seasons of specials, without the tent or live audience.

In January 2021, Hammond starred alongside Mythbusters' Tory Belleci in The Great Escapists, a fictional six-episode adventure series for Amazon, which was produced by Chimp Productions. The series stranded the pair on a deserted island where they used the resources they could find to build the means to survive.[57]

On 10 June 2017, Hammond crashed a Rimac Concept One while filming for The Grand Tour in Hemberg, Switzerland. Hammond was on his last run up a timed hill climb course during the Bergrennen Hemberg event, when, just after crossing the finish line, the car ran off the road. The car tumbled down the hill and eventually came to rest upside down 110 metres (360 ft) from the road.[58][59]

Hammond remained conscious throughout and later described the feeling of "oh god, I'm going to die", as well as being "aware of tumbling – sky, ground, sky, ground, sky, ground, sky, ground." After being airlifted to hospital, Hammond was diagnosed with a tibial plateau fracture in his left knee and a plate and ten screws were surgically inserted.[60]

Jeremy Clarkson and James May, fellow presenters on The Grand Tour both witnessed the scene from afar, and, believing Hammond was dead, May recalled feeling a "blossoming, white-hot ball of pure, sickening horror forming in my heart"[62] with Clarkson describing his "knees turning to jelly" at the sight of the crash.[63]

After the ordeal, the FIA allegedly ruled that the "show runs" Hammond and company were doing at the time of the accident violated the governing body's International Sporting Code and that the crash "acted against the interests of the sport." As a result, the Bergrennen Hemberg organizers were fined $5,138, on top of six-month license suspensions for race director Christian Muller and stewards Hermann Muller, Karl Marty, and Daniel Lenglet. In August of that year, Motorsport.com reported that the future of the entire event "is now in jeopardy."[64] Despite the reports, the Bergrennen Hemberg would be held again in 2018, and driver registrations opening for 2019.[65]

Bollitree Castle in Weston under Penyard

The Hammond family lives in a mock castle in Herefordshire and also has an apartment in London.[69] In an interview with The Sunday Times in February 2008, it was reported that Hammond had moved briefly from Gloucestershire to Buckinghamshire, then back again, because he missed the country life.[74]

In October 2012, it was reported he had spent over £2 million buying Bollitree Castle which is situated near Weston under Penyard, Ross-on-Wye. It has been rumoured he has also bought a large house in the small town of Wantage, Oxfordshire.[75][76]

Hammond currently owns or has owned many different cars including:

• 1931 Lagonda 2-litre Supercharged.[77]
• 1942 Ford GPW[78]
• 1962 Jaguar E-Type Roadster Mk1 [79]
• 1963 Opel Kadett, a car he bought for Top Gear's Botswana special. He named the car Oliver and had it shipped from Botswana to the UK.[80]
• 1968 Ford Mustang GT 390 in Highland Green.[81]
• 1969 Porsche 911T.[82]
• 1979 MG Midget[83]
• 1987 Land Rover Defender-110, known as "Buster" which he spent over £70,000 rebuilding in 2008.[84]
• 1999 Lotus Esprit 350 Sport[85]
• 2016 Ford Mustang convertible in white with black Shelby stripes, which he bought as a Christmas present for his wife.[86]
• 2020 Morgan Plus Six[87]
• Bentley S1[88]
• Land Rover 110 Station Wagon, which was christened "Wallycar" by his eldest daughter and has been owned by him twice.[89]
• Land Rover Discovery 4 SDV6 HSE[90]
• Land Rover Defender [91]
• Tesla Model X

Cars no longer owned by Hammond:

• 1969 Dodge Charger R/T[92]
• 1976 Toyota Corolla liftback, which was his first car.[93]
• 1982 Porsche 911 SC (sold in the mid-2000s)[94][95]
• 1985 Land Rover Range Rover Classic which he later sold.[96]
• 1994 BMW 850Ci, which was used to race against Clarkson's Mercedes CL600, which they both bought on Top Gear to prove that one could purchase second-hand V12 cars which were a better buy than the Nissan Pixo (Britain's cheapest new car at the time) for less money. He sold this after a week on the challenge.[97]
• 1994 Porsche 928, purchased in 2004 for the purpose of daily driving.[92] He later sold the car.
• 1996 Fiat Barchetta, which he revealed that he had previously owned in the Middle East Special when explaining his choice of the Barchetta for the challenge.
• 1997 Ferrari 550 Maranello, which he mentioned in Top Gear as the car he regretted selling.[98]
• 2006 Porsche 911 (997) Carrera S.[99] He sold it in 2013 following the announcement of the GT3.
• 2010 Fiat 500C TwinAir, which he discussed purchasing during Series 18 of Top Gear.[100] It is unknown when he sold it.
• 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT-8 which was purchased in the United States on a Series 12 episode of Top Gear. Later he sold it.[101]
• 2009 Aston Martin DBS Volante, which he purchased for £175,000.[102] Hammond later sold the car.
• 2009 Morgan Aeromax, in which he was involved in a car accident on 9 August 2009.[103] He later sold it.
• 2009 Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 Spyder which he purchased in 2010.[104] He later sold it in 2012.
• 2013 Porsche 911 GT3, which he discussed purchasing during Series 21 of Top Gear. This car was subsequently recalled because of multiple reports of the cars catching fire[105] and he sold it in 2016.
• 2015 Porsche 911 GT3 RS, which he purchased on 17 April 2016.[106]
• VW camper van, which was customised in pink for his daughters.[107]

Hammond is a keen motorcyclist, having ridden for over 30 years.[108] He currently owns or has owned many different motorcycles including:

• 1925 Sunbeam Model A, with an asthmatic side-valve 350cc single-cylinder engine, a hand-shift three-speed gearbox, a manual oil pump, acetylene gas lights and no milometer[109]
• 1927 Sunbeam Model 2[110]
• 1935 Indian[111]
• 1947 Harley Davidson[111]
• 1951 BMW R51, with a 600cc conversion, a Hoske tank and cut down mudguards[109]
• 1959 Norton Dominator[110]
• 1961 Triumph Bonneville T120C[112]
• 1962 Triumph Bonneville[113]
• 1970s Moto Guzzi V7 Sport[114]
• 1974 Kawasaki Z900[110]
• 1976 BMW R90S, which is an "[i]rresistible low mileage example of BMWs first attempt at a sportsbike. The tank's been repainted, but the rest is original."[109]
• 1976 Honda Gold Wing[110]
• 1976 Kawasaki Z900, which was a 40th birthday present from his wife[109][115]
• 1976 Moto Guzzi Le Mans (Mk1). "I've always wanted a Guzzi. They've got a tractor-like quality. This one is fitted with a period accessory fairing from Apple Motorcycles", Hammond said in an interview for Bike Magazine.[109][110]
• 1976 Yamaha FS-1E[110]
• 1981 BMW R100RT, which Hammond bought "when some friends, including James May, started a thing called the Crap Motorcycle Camping Club of GB. [...] It's called Eric, after the previous owner and it's done 105,000 miles".[110]
• 1988 BMW R100GS[109]
• 1990 BMW K1, with a unique BMW Motorsport inspired paintjob[109]
• 1990 BMW K100RS, which has a batch painted by Dream Machine in BMW Motorsport colours to celebrate Nick Jeffries finishing 8th in the 1984 Production TT on one[109]
• 1991 Suzuki GSX-R1100. In an interview for Bike Magazine in 2014, Hammond stated: "When I was a kid I saw a GSX-R 1100 being filled up in a petrol station. I thought it was amazing. I know this isn't the collectable slab-sided one, but I don't care."[109][110]
• 1992 Kawasaki KR1-S[109][110]
• 1992 Kawasaki ZXR750. In a Bike Magazine interview, Richard stated: "I just love the hoses from the fairing ducts to the engine. I remember seeing these in Mick Staiano Motorcycles in Harrogate and dreaming of owning one."[109]
• 1998 Ducati 916 SPS Fogarty Replica[109]
• 2012 BMW R1200RT, which is according to Richard "[t]he best bike in the world." In 2014, he told Bike Magazine: "I love to hustle on the RT. It's done 8000 commuting miles and is used as a tool."[109]
• 2014 Norton Commando 961 SE[110]
• Bimota SB8R[116]
• Bimota YB9[110]
• Brough Superior SS80 period race replica[110]
• Brough Superior SS100[110]
• Ducati 900 Super Sport Desmo[117]
• Honda SS50. In 2014, Richard told Bike Magazine that the Honda had been disassembled and was being restored by his daughter.[109]
• Moto Guzzi Daytona 1000[118]
• Suzuki GS1000[110]
• Vespa GTS 300 Super Sport scooter[119]
• Vincent Black Shadow[120]
• Yamaha Virago[109]

Motorcycles no longer owned by Hammond:

• BMW R1150GS[109]
• Honda CBR1000F[110]
• Honda CBX750F[110]
• Honda MTX50, which was his first motorcycle.[110]
• Honda NSR125R[110]
• Honda XL100[110]
• Kawasaki GP100[110]
• Kawasaki ZZR600[110]
• Suzuki GSX-R750WP[110]

Furthermore, Hammond owns or has owned the following vehicles:

• 2005 Robinson R44 Raven II helicopter[121]
• John Deere 6210 SE tractor[90]

In December 2016, in reference to the interior styling of a Volvo S90 co-presenter Clarkson joked that "the only problem is that in one of those, you couldn't enjoy a chocolate Magnum ice cream" – to which Hammond responded: "It's all right, I don't eat ice cream. It's something to do with being straight."[130] The joke was written as a reference to a well-known advertisement in Finland (where that episode of The Grand Tour was filmed); however, LGBT rights campaigner Peter Tatchell accused Hammond of "pandering to prejudice", adding that "it's a perverse world when everyday pleasures like ice cream becomes the butt of homophobic innuendo."[131] A spokesperson for UK LGBT rights charity Stonewall stated that "Hammond's choice of words were not just ridiculous, but chosen purposefully to mock and belittle."[132]

A year later, in an interview with The Times, Hammond stated: "Look, anyone who knows me knows I wasn’t being serious, that I’m not homophobic. Love is love, whatever the sex of the two people in love... It may be because I live in a hideously safe and contained middle-class world, where a person’s sexuality is not an issue".[133] In an interview with Newsweek Today, Hammond denied making homophobic comments, and refused to apologise for the remarks: "I entirely reject any criticism of me being anti-gay. That's just not the case."[134]