Richard Hammond & James May Make “Slightly Traumatizing” Return To ‘Top Gear’ Studio

After hanging up their The Grand Tour driving gloves, it appears that Richard Hammond and James May have become all nostalgic about their careers in motoring television.

For unclear reasons, the presenters returned to the studio of Top Gear nearly a decade after they left the iconic BBC show to launch their Amazon Prime Video series.

In a video for May’s YouTube channel, Hammond and his co-star walked the grounds of Dunsfold Aerodrome in Surrey, home to the Top Gear race track and other facilities.

The duo appeared genuinely nostalgic as they reflected on their 12-year spell on the show that propelled them to TV stardom alongside Jeremy Clarkson.

“Oh my God, this was a massive part of our lives for a long time,” Hammond said as he approached the structure that doubled as their production office, writing room, green room, and make-up studio.

“It seems like only yesterday, but also 100 years ago,” he said. May added that their walk around the studio was “slightly traumatizing” — not least because of the space’s musky smell.

“I don’t mind saying that has been a genuinely nostalgic experience,” Hammond said. May added: “I’m glad I did that and yet another part of me wishes I hadn’t.”

Hammond and May left Top Gear in 2015 after Clarkson was fired by the BBC for punching producer Oisin Tymon. The show has been mothballed by the BBC after presenter Andrew “Freddie” Flintoff sustained serious facial injuries in an accident during filming in 2022.