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Season 21, Episode 2
Richard Hammond gets behind the wheel of the mid-engined Alfa Romeo 4C on the shores of Lake Como in Italy - but his enjoyment of the lightweight vehicle is disturbed by the arrival of Jeremy Clarkson, who demands a race against his quad bike. Jeremy also visits Belgium, putting the McLaren P1 hypercar to the test in Bruges and around the Spa-Francorchamps Formula One circuit - and its combined power output of more than 900bhp generated from electricity and turbocharged petrol V8 power is likely to cause astonishment. Meanwhile, James May spends time at Camp Bastion in Afghanistan to learn about the army's vehicle redeployment efforts, and actor Tom Hiddleston tries to coax the best time he can muster from the Reasonably Priced Car
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Leisure Hobbies
Motoring
Cast & Crew
James May
(Presenter)
Richard Hammond
(Presenter)
Jeremy Clarkson
(Presenter)
Tom Hiddleston
(Guest)
Andy Wilman
(Executive producer)
More Information
Did You Know..
James May
(Presenter)
Born:
January 16, 1963
in
Bristol
Best Known For:
Being Captain Slow on Top Gear.
Early-life:
James Daniel May was born on January 16, 1963, in Bristol. He has a brother and two sisters. He attended school in Rotherham with Life on Mars star Dean Andrews before heading to Lancaster University to study music. After graduating, May made ends meet in a series of jobs, including working in a hospital. During a stint with an engineering company, he produced a leaflet and liked what it involved, so applied for a job as a magazine sub-editor. He then worked for Autocar, but was fired after inserting a 'secret' message in the text.
Career:
May's TV career began in 1998 with the Channel 4 series Driven, which ran for four years. In 1999, he landed a presenting role on BBC's Top Gear before it was axed due to low ratings. He rejoined the revamped version of the show in its second series. Other projects for the BBC have included Oz and James's Big Wine Adventure, James May's 20th Century, James May's Big Ideas, James May's Man Lab, and James May's Toy Stories.
Quote:
On his sex-symbol status: 'Perhaps they look at me in the way that I might look at a slightly tacky Jaguar XJS, and think 'that's potentially not bad, maybe I could improve that'.'
Trivia:
Away from TV, he has written columns for several publications and penned the books May on Motors and Notes from the Hard Shoulder.
Richard Hammond
(Presenter)
Born:
December 19, 1969
in
Solihull
Best Known For:
Co-hosting Top Gear, alongside Jeremy Clarkson and James May.
Early-life:
Richard Mark Hammond was born in Birmingham on December 19, 1969. His mum Eileen, father Alan and younger brothers Andrew and Nicholas moved to Ripon where his father ran a probate business. After attending Harrogate College of Art and Technology, Richard decided not to pursue a degree and instead took a series of part-time jobs, including working behind the bar of a pub and being a 'chicken chaser' at a local farm.
Career:
His broadcasting career began on local radio, before he got his big TV break hosting a number of daytime shows on Men & Motors. In 2002, he landed a slot on BBC's Top Gear, where he was given the nickname Hamster. Other series Richard has presented include Crufts, the British Parking Awards, Should I Worry About…?, The Gunpowder Plot: Exploding the Legend, Time Commanders, and Sky One's Brainac: Science Abuse. He was also a team captain on the quiz show Petrolheads and narrated the BBC series Last Man Standing. In recent years, he has started presenting serious documentaries on such subjects as warfare and engineering, and secured a world exclusive interview with his hero, Evel Knievel. He is the current face of the rather silly but very enjoyable Total Wipeout.
Quote:
On his Top Gear colleagues: 'Of course we get on - the show wouldn't work if we didn't get on. The arguments you see on-screen are for real and often carry on off-screen as well.'
Trivia:
He has published books on motoring and science.
Jeremy Clarkson
(Presenter)
Born:
April 11, 1960
in
Doncaster
Best Known For:
Presenting Top Gear.
Early-life:
Jeremy Charles Robert Clarkson was born on April 11th, 1960, and claims he could say 'Maserati' before he could say 'mummy'. He was the only son of affluent parents who manufactured Paddington Bear dolls. His passion for cars began as a child, but he admits to losing interest during his teens when he discovered girls and punk rock. Jeremy attended public school for five years, but was expelled shortly before he was due to take his A-levels. His first car was a Ford Cortina.
Career:
Jeremy was employed as a trainee journalist on the Rotherham Advertiser, but he quit while reporting on a local agricultural show because he grew tired of the marrow-growers and Pony Club mums. He joined the family firm as a salesman and moved to London, where he found a new career as a motoring writer. In 1987, he met a Top Gear producer at a car launch and was invited on to the show. He quickly became one of its most popular presenters, but left the programme in 1998 to concentrate on other projects. Other series he has fronted include Speed, Meet The Neighbours and his own chat show, Clarkson. However, he missed talking about cars and returned to a revamped Top Gear, which is now one of the world's most-watched shows.
Quote:
'It's amazing how easily people are upset. When I said that a car snapped knicker elastic at 50 paces, I couldn't believe the furore that was created.'
Trivia:
He lent his vocals to the first Cars movie, and the Forza 5 video game.
Tom Hiddleston
(Guest)
Born:
February 09, 1981
in
London
Best Known For:
Playing Loki in the Thor movies.
Early-life:
Thomas William Hiddleston was born in London on February 9, 1981 to Diana and James. He has two sisters, Emma and Sarah. He was raised in Wimbledon and later in Oxford. He boarded at Eton College and went on to study at Pembroke College at the University of Cambridge. In his second term at Cambridge, he performed in a production of A Streetcar Named Desire. He furthered his acting training at Rada, graduating in 2005.
Career:
Hiddleston made his small-screen debut in the 2001 TV movie The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby. A year later, he starred in the TV movie The Gathering Storm. After graduating from Rada, he made his film debut in Unrelated (2007). He is best known for playing the character Loki in the Thor movies and in The Avengers (2012). His other film credits include Archipelago (2010), Midnight in Paris (2011), War Horse (2011) and Muppets Most Wanted (2014). He won an Olivier Award in 2008 for his role in Cymbeline.
Quote:
'I think we all see ourselves as the heroes in our own lives.'
Trivia:
Hiddleston supports UNICEF.
Andy Wilman
(Executive producer)
