Richard Hammond EXCLUSIVE: Life After Top Gear & Turning Down the BBC

Richard Hammond on Life After Top Gear and The Grand Tour

Richard Hammond reflects on the rise and end of Top Gear and The Grand Tour, and why life after the shows has brought him unexpected happiness.

The moment Top Gear became a “circus”

Early on, Hammond and the crew pulled into a petrol station in three cheap supercars and noticed an audience gathering to watch. They realized people weren’t just watching a car show—they were showing up for the spectacle.

The team had initially planned to keep things modest, with ordinary cars and no foreign trips. They soon decided that sounded boring and made the kind of show they themselves wanted to watch.

A Batman audition and an unglamorous start

Andy Wilman recalls Hammond auditioning in a Batman costume, performing a strange bit that made little sense but showed off his energy. Hammond can barely remember it.

He describes the long route that led him there: radio jobs, a brief stint in Renault PR, and early car reviews where he sometimes had to hire a purple Nissan Micra just to get to the shoot.

Why he turned down the BBC

When Jeremy Clarkson was fired, Hammond was offered the chance to take control of Top Gear. He says he couldn’t imagine the show working without the group.

The chemistry depended on Hammond, Clarkson, James May and producer Andy Wilman—their different roles and the “pushes and pulls” between them.

The end of The Grand Tour

Hammond says he would have carried on, but the group had always agreed that if one of them was ready to stop, they all had to. He describes the final moments of filming as deeply emotional: they were saying goodbye not only to the audience, but also to a crew who had shared decades of adventures with them.

Success, anxiety and ordinary life

Despite the glamour, fame could leave Hammond lonely and anxious, especially when he was away from home. Now he treasures everyday moments, like wandering into a local wine bar while waiting for a haircut and chatting with neighbors.

After losing his father, dog, marriage and home, he says one of his happiest periods was living simply in a rented cottage and cooking Sunday lunch for friends. A story about his friend moving into “Lady Garden Cottage” prompts a long spell of laughter.

A more nuanced view of cars

Hammond argues that the future shouldn’t be reduced to “everyone must go electric” versus “only V8s matter.” He supports electric cars but says consumers need balanced information about different technologies, including synthetic fuels and hydrogen, rather than one-size-fits-all claims.

Finding a new purpose

His classic-car restoration business, The Smallest Cog, is a smaller, more grounded operation than the big TV productions. Hammond enjoys its reality, even after investing heavily in it.

He hopes to grow the business into a place where people can see cars being worked on and celebrate motoring. But he stresses that it’s a real workshop: customers pay for the work.

A vulnerable moment about his health

Hammond says his past brain injury still worries him, and he fears it could contribute to dementia. He hasn’t had a scan because he’s frightened of what it might show—and of having to tell his family. The hosts gently challenge him to consider that knowing could also offer reassurance.

Closing advice

In the quick-fire round, Hammond names littering, rudeness and getting in people’s way as non-negotiables. He says running helps him start the day on his own terms and shares his father’s practical advice: “Always keep low in a dinghy.”

His broader message is to pursue things because they’re rewarding and fun, not because you need them to define you:

“Don’t let it own you. Own it.”

People mentioned

• Featured: Richard Hammond; hosts Jake Humphrey and Damian Hughes
• Heard in a clip: Andy Wilman
• Discussed: Jeremy Clarkson and James May