James May

On a road trip, the trio dish up a hair-raising mountain climb, bomb defusals, propeller powered cars, helicopter stunts and the most thrilling race of their lives before reaching the English Channel for a jaw dropping medieval climax.

James May is not a chef. But that’s the whole point: you don’t need to be a brilliant cook to make delicious food. Transporting us to the Far East, the Med, and the local pub – all from the comfort of a home economist’s kitchen – he’ll knock up delicious recipes that you can actually make yourself, with ingredients you can actually buy. And all without the usual television cooking format trickery.

8.1/10

James May embarks on a remarkable journey across Japan, from its icy north to its balmy south. He’ll see the sights, meet the locals, and eat the noodles in a bid to truly understand the Land of the Rising Sun.

8.4/10

James May follows a year inside Hornby Hobbies – an iconic British toymaker on the brink of collapse.

8.3/10

James May sets out to find the answer to which is better- Red Leicester or Cheddar. Welcome to the 1970s...

Top Gear - Planes, Trains & Automobiles is a collection of classic moments featuring Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May, in a celebration of the most exciting ways to get over land and through the air. A monument to what happens when you put planes, trains and automobiles in the hands of three blokes who aren’t afraid to slam open the throttle…

The route begins in Cambodia at Siem Reap and then winds downriver to Tonlé Sap lake, before joining the Mekong Delta and sailing into Vietnam. The final port of call is Vung Tau, in south Vietnam.

Oh, the weather outside is frightful... so get out there and start doing some stupid stuff in cars. Yes, whether it's racing a rally car against a bobsleigh, playing ice hockey with tiny Suzukis, or seeing if a Ferrari can get you from Britain to the ski slopes quicker than a plane, Top Gear has always been at the cutting edge of cold-weather, car-based messing about. Can a combine harvester be turned into a snow plough? What happens if you ski-jump a rocket-powered Mini? Does a Jaguar estate make a good ski lift? This collection sees Jeremy, James and Richard - a trio well versed in trading on thin ice - answering these vital questions, and more besides. Uniting, for the first time, some of the best Top Gear winter adventures, it's a snowy, slippery celebration of all things sub-zero. When the temperature plummets, the fun begins...

Welcome to Top Gear, The Best of the Specials. All the wildest, funniest, exciting-est bits from all the legendary Top Gear Specials, combined into one brilliant DVD. For over a decade, Top Gear’s road trips – and off-road trips – have tackled the biggest questions in motoring. Can cards set us free? Can they bring cultures together? And is it really a good idea to wear denim in tropical climates? So if you enjoy watching middle-aged men, sitting in cars, driving across interesting landscapes while wearing denim – and who doesn’t? – you’ve come to the right place. Pour yourself a pint of Horlicks, kick back, and enjoy the very best of the Top Gear Specials…

6.7/10

Every 68 seconds a brand new car drives off the production line at the MINI Plant in Oxford. James May goes behind the scenes to bring us this modern miracle in real time. He's joined by Ant Anstead and Kate Humble to reveal the science, engineering and people that keep us all on the road, and see how a car is built from start to finish in a little over 24 hours.

When we look around our homes, sheds and garages we see an array of household objects that with one click of a button or twist of a knob will spring to life, and - most of the time - do exactly what we want them to. But how on earth do these objects work? To find out, James May (fuelled by endless cups of tea) heads into his workshop with thousands of little pieces to assemble some of our most beloved and recognisable objects from scratch to see what it actually takes to get them to work.

8.5/10

Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May are back with a show about adventure, excitement and friendship... as long as you accept that the people you call friends are also the ones you find extremely annoying. Sometimes it's even a show about cars. Follow them on their global adventure.

8.7/10
6.9%

This compilation show presented by Richard Hammond takes a look back at Top Gear's most famous creations from the past 21 seasons. Relive many of the greatest and boldest endeavors in all their splendor, including the Train-Cars, James' Caravan Airship, the Hammerhead Eagle-i Thrust and the Hovervan.

Hammond and May host a special episode featuring two films that had been completed prior to the dismissal of their absent colleague. In the first film, the pair and Clarkson each try to live as classic car enthusiasts with a particular classic car - Hammond picks a MGB GT, Clarkson chooses a Fiat 124 Sport Spider, and May drives a Peugeot 304 S Cabriolet - testing out their choices, before modifying and improving their cars, and competing against each other to see who's choice is the best. In the second film, the trio see which is the best second-hand 4x4 SUV on a budget of £250 - Clarkson pics a Vauxhall Frontera Sport RS, May chooses a Mitsubishi Shogun Pinin, and Hammond drives a Jeep Cherokee - facing a series of challenges that concludes with a race in which the loser must conduct an awkward after-dinner speech at their destination.

9.5/10

The 11th Top Gear Special is a glorious celebration of the V8 engine, or at least, it was supposed to be. In it, Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May take a trio of V8 powered sports cars for an epic and arduous 1600 mile road trip through the spectacular landscapes of Patagonia. Along the way they encounter swamps, deserts, forests, beaches and snowy mountain passes as the threesome and their often malfunctioning machines press on towards the southernmost city in the world and an impending game of car football. Unfortunately, that's not quite how things turn out...

In this special Clarkson, Hammond and May don’t just buy three knackered old lorries and drive miles through the beautiful landscapes of Burma. Oh dear no. They actually have to use their lorries to do something useful. They have to build a real, use able bridge over the River Kwai. On their way to the river they almost bring down Burma’s power supply, encounter the world’s least relaxing truck stop, race around the streets of a deserted capital, saddle up a trio of unhelpful horses and attend a completely deranged party.

Clarkson, Hammond and May embark on an epic journey in three used V8 cars to the most southern tip of America.

8.6/10

Clarkson, Hammond and May embark on a journey to the southernmost point of South America

8.4/10

Top Gear's James May presents this 3 part series which takes a look at the 'peoples car'. Covering every form of cars for the masses - from the Beetle to the Kei Car, May looks at the many forms of people's car, their origins and their effect on history. Each episode covers a particular theme; these being cars from dictatorships, microcars and the dream cars we aspire to.

8.4/10

The aim: to select the ideal mode of transport for each leg of a pilgrimage from Venice, Italy to Pau in France – home to a legendary street circuit and the origins of Grand Prix racing. On the way we prepare by taking to the track at Monza – the home of Italian Formula One. We try to get noticed on the road course in Monaco in a Bugatti, a Lamborghini and a Model T Ford. After cruising the canals in Venice we take to the tarmac and things look good - thanks to the Ferrari F12 Berlinetta and Mercedes SLS Black. Throw in a Pagani Huayra, Porsche Cayman S and a GT3 as well as the Aston Martin Vanquish centenary edition, Bentley V8 convertible, Rolls Royce Phantom coupe and the face-bending BAC Mono all seems pretty perfect to us.

7.9/10

Another expedition for Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May. This time around, our intrepid explorers take on the task of finding the source of the Nile in three barely roadworthy estate cars. After surmounting the worst that the local hotels and traffic jams can throw at them, the dynamic trio set off into the heat of the African sun, taking dense forests, the ferocious wildlife, and wheel-sucking mud in their stride - well, almost.

Jeremy Clarkson and James May travel to the North of England to name and shame some of the worst cars in history, from manufacturers who "should have known better".

7.8/10

Top Gear THE CHALLENGES 6 combines all the meaty goodness of incredible car-based endeavours with all the tasty treats of brilliant star guests and a delicious gravy of pure distilled Stigginess. Counts as one of your recommended five-a-day intake of three silly men arguing, falling over and accidentally setting things on fire.

Some cars have a million horsepower, others have twinkly lights and big shiny wheels. But a rare few have something else; soul. It's found in funny places. In the crack of a rusty sill. Down the back of a torn seat next to an old Smartie. And if you're really lucky, it's found in a screaming V12 or perched on a ludicrous wing, or in the rooftop hinge of a gullwing door. These are the cars that make us happy, mad, insane and inevitably very poor. And no matter how much sense is drilled into our daft little heads, we'll continue to love then. So put your feet up, play this DVD and enjoy some of our favourites. It's a celebration of soul.

Allow us to present yet another challenges bonanza crammed with volcanoes, World speed records, flying caravans, unstable Reliant Robins, jaw dropping races and cars exploding all over the place. No other programme offers so much, for so little of your I.Q. Motorhomes The Making of the Car Advert British Sports Cars Cheap Saloons in Germany The Dakar Car Versus the Snowmobiles Topsy Turvy Reliant Robins The Veyron in Hyperdrive Airport Vehicles Race The Caravan Airship The Twingo in Belfast May's Volcanic Adventure Gravity Drop Race

James May gives a straightforward guide to some of science's big ideas, explaining everything from evolution and Einstein to engineering and chemistry.

7.9/10

Clarkson, Hammond and May travel across the Middle East in a £3500 sports car to reach Jerusalem, and encounter all the political minefields (and the real ones) the Three Wise Men didn't.

9/10

The gang embarks on a trade mission to India. Equipped with three old British cars and a range of uniquely British products, they set off on an epic road trip across one of the world's most fascinating and challenging countries.

8.3/10

The Top Gear team go on a US adventure. Its the ultimate road trip and finds the guys driving $1000 wrecks over 700 stifling miles to New Orleans. In a Chevy, a Caddy and a Pick-Up, their challenges include preparing a road kill feast and baiting rednecks of Alabama without getting shot.

Cars! Film! Cars on film! Film involving cars! You get the idea. It’s basically a DVD involving those two things. Gasp as we find the perfect drift car for a gritty, Bourne Identity-style chase! Cheer as we stage a race for all those unsung heroes of the movie industry! Whoop as we find the car that makes the perfect dramatic exhaust note to dub onto an action sequence! Make some other sort of noise we haven’t thought of yet as we re-attempt the classic Man With The Golden Gun barrel roll, having frankly made a total hash of it when we first tried it on telly! All this plus a vast fleet of sexy supercars and a man with a jet pack racing a Skoda. Top Gear At The Movies. It’s better than an actual movie. Probably. Actually, it depends on which movie we’re talking about. Truth is, you’d be better judging this on a case-by-case basis. Why not write to us with the name of a film and we’ll tell you whether this DVD is better or not. Actually, on second thoughts, don’t.

7.4/10

For one night only, Professor Brian Cox goes unplugged in a specially recorded programme from the lecture theatre of the Royal Institution of Great Britain. In his own inimitable style, Brian takes an audience of famous faces, scientists and members of the public on a journey through some of the most challenging concepts in physics. With the help of Jonathan Ross, Simon Pegg, Sarah Millican and James May, Brian shows how diamonds - the hardest material in nature - are made up of nothingness; how things can be in an infinite number of places at once; why everything we see or touch in the universe exists; and how a diamond in the heart of London is in communication with the largest diamond in the cosmos.

8.2/10

Just what will motoring be like in a post apocalyptic world that's been blown to bits by nuclear bombs or a massive comet? It's a burning question that's on literally nobody's mind, and we give you all the answers in this brand new, incredibly cheerful Top Gear DVD. Embarking on a terrifying journey into the future, we show you how to drive to work in the perpetual darkness of a Nuclear Winter, how to make motor sport exciting when there's only two racing drivers left alive, and, in a world where all cars are bristling with weapons, how to survive the savage, explosive fury of a Doomsday M.O.T test. And amongst all the nuclear carnage, we also tackle the ultimate petrolhead's dilemma - what cars would you take for a final drive if there was only one barrel of petrol left on the planet? The explosions are huge, the cars are superb, so relax and enjoy. PS. This frightening vision of a post nuclear world is backed up by top scientists, in case you think it's us just cocking about.

7.2/10

James May's Man Lab sees James attempting redeem the reputation of the modern man by teaching them skills that were cherished by their forefathers.

7.8/10

Hot places! Cold places! Places where the temperature is quite pleasant! There's nowhere Top Gear hasn't been in the name of temperature based entertainment

Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May are dropped deep in the Bolivian rainforest armed only with three 4x4s which they bought from the local small ads for a maximum of £3,500 each. They attempt to drive from the heart of Bolivia to the coast of Chile, encountering drug lords and the debilitating effects of high altitude. Without a doubt one of the toughest challenges the `Top Gear' team has ever faced.

9.4/10

James May at the Edge of Space is a British documentary in which television presenter James May came close to fulfilling his lifelong dream to be an astronaut by flying to the edge of space in a Lockheed U-2 spy plane. It was first aired on BBC Four on 21 June 2009 as part of commemorations of the 40th anniversary of the first Apollo moon landing, and tied in with another May documentary an hour earlier on BBC Two called James May on the Moon. The programme followed May's three days of training with the United States Air Force at Beale Air Force Base in which he practised safety drills and learnt how to use a space suit correctly. With training complete, he was taken on a three-hour flight reaching an altitude of over 70,000 feet (21,000 m), piloted by instructor pilot Major John "Cabi" Cabigas.

8/10

Jeremy, Richard and James embark on yet more ill-advised attempts to out-do each other in a stinky cloud of tyre smoke, rust and over-ambitious mucking about in Top Gear The Challenges 3.

The boys headed to Vietnam for epic road trip across the country. Each of them were given 15 million dong (about US$ 1000) to spend on buying some wheels and must make it to the north of Vietnam.

9.5/10

Top Gear presenter James May presents this informative program that examines the historic moon missions. Traveling to America, May meets three of the men who walked on the surface of the moon, learning how it felt and how the now antiquated technology was used to achieve such an historic feat.

8.1/10

Oz Clarke and James May travel through Britain and Ireland to discover the amazing array of drinks that is on offer.

7.9/10

James May is out to prove why traditional, old fashioned toys are still relevant today when he pushes them to the limit in spectacular, supersize challenges.

8.1/10

Trains have a place in this world, but no on this DVD, thanks. 'Rockets' it is. Rockets are far more interesting than trains, anyway, especially when their boosters have Reliant Robins strapped to them. That's just one of three challenge films you'll enjoy on this free DVD. You'll also watch a Eurofighter Typhoon blast a mile straight up in a race against a Veyron, and see Jeremy hacking an Espace to bits with a buzz saw. Perfect.

Races, chases and things on fire; treat yourself to a bucketload of Top Gear's attempts to get melted, hurt or drowned. To more cries of "How hard can it be?", "That’s not gone well" and "You insufferable Oaf!", Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May gallantly risk humiliation in another series of magnificent challenges, where petty rivalries are taken much too far…

James May's Big Ideas is a three-part British television miniseries in which James May, a journalist and self-acknowledged geek travels the globe in search of implementations for concepts widely considered science fiction, or his big ideas. The series is produced by the BBC and the Open University and began airing at 8pm on Sundays on 28 September 2008. The first episode documents his search for the ultimate form of personal transport, ranging from jetpacks to flying cars. In the second episode, May looks at bionics and robotics and if robots can exceed the boundaries of their programming. The third episode focuses on energy.

7.7/10

As part of Sports Relief 2008, the Top Gear crew tries to revive the TV show "Ground Force" and revamp the garden of Olympian legend Sir Steve Redgrave.

8.4/10

James May celebrates the toys that made his childhood hell as he opens the lid on his sisters' toy box. Sandwiched between elder sister Jane and younger one Sarah, many of their favourites he couldn't understand - or stand the sight of - or see the point of.

7.6/10

Clarkson and May, in a seriously modified Toyota, take on Hammond and his dog sled in a 450 mil race to the North pole as they drive over thin ice to face in-tent hostilities, polar bear fear and desperate food fantasies.

9/10

James May takes a look at some of the greatest developments of the 20th century.

7.7/10

Jeremy, James and Richard each buy a used two-wheel drive car for £1500 and drive it for 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometres) across Botswana from the Zimbabwe border across the Makgadikgadi salt plains and through the Okavango Delta to the Namibian border. The Stig's African cousin also makes an appearance.

9.1/10

Featuring the most ludicrous stunts ever undertaken on TV. Top Gear doesn't do things by halves, which is completely apparent in Top Gear: The Challenges. Not only does the team attempt to drive on water, send a car into space and race a bunch of jumping French men... only to lose, they also manage to embroil several celebrities.

Le Mans? Not gruelling enough. Indy 500? Too slow. Monaco? No glamour. Forget them all - here are the three greatest races ever filmed. Somebody made the mistake of telling Jeremy that the car isn't a fast enough way to cover distance anymore. He took serious exception. He also took a Ferrari 612 Scaglietti, a McLaren SLR and a Bugatti Veyron on three legendary transcontinental blasts to prove his point. The competition? Richard and James driving planes, trains and boats. And not having as much fun...

Oz and James's Big Wine Adventure was a BBC television programme of which two series have been broadcast. It was presented by wine expert Oz Clarke and motoring journalist James May, with Clarke aiming to educate May about wine while undertaking a road trip. The first season focused on France and the second on California. The sequel series Oz and James Drink to Britain, broadcast in 2009, made the change to a focus on the variety of beverages available in the United Kingdom.

7.8/10

Filmed on location on the mountains of Lillehammer, Norway. The presenters of Top Gear test out the cars in their own interepretation of the Olympic Games. Events include the Biathlon with a Volvo XC90 and an Audi Q7, a mini on the ski jump and slalom speed/dance skating using a Jaguar and a Range Rover, a Citroen C1 in the endurance test and a game of Ice Hockey.

8.5/10

James May presents a celebration of the toys which have survived across the decades, including Meccano, Lego, Scalextric and Airfix. James's all-time number one is the train set.

8/10

Can a rocket propelled Mini take on an Olympic ski jump and survive? Can an Italian supercar be bought for just £10k and driven round a track without exploding? Can a Volvo beat an Audi in a snow bound biathlon? And can a Triumph Herald be turned into a monstrous cross breed with a dinghy and then sailed across a lake? And more to the point, Why? These are the challenges facing Jeremy, Richard and James. Will they fall at the first, er, hurdle?

Following their perilous watery escapades in the Mekong, the intrepid trio find themselves back on four wheels for their latest adventure on the exotic islands of Reunion and Madagascar. Armed with three sports cars, Richard, James and Jeremy believe they are in for a cushy road trip and fun escapades as they arrive in Reunion and race on the world's most expensive piece of tarmac, a jaw dropping ring road built out in the sea. But a bizarre challenge from Mr Wilman propels them across the ocean to Madagascar, where they must tackle the toughest road in the world, in some of the most extremely modded cars they have ever built, in order to complete one of their toughest quests to date. The whole gruelling adventure ends in an explosive climax.