Biography

James May

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James May was born in 1963 but his development was tragically arrested at the age of 12. A confessed 'complete waster' until the age of 42, May then took the decision to apply his talent for the pointless in the direction of television. His oeuvre includes a record for the world's longest train set, building a real house from Lego, propelling children's action figures to beyond the speed of sound, a revival of the cult of duelling, the creation of a mechanical email system, and a wholesale rethink of the pet funeral business. He regards the fish-finger sandwich as the greatest single leap in human progress until the invention of the internet.

He lives in Hammersmith, but his neighbours wish he didn't.
- IMDb mini biography by: The James May: Oh Cook! Team

Fired from "Autocar" magazine after putting in a hidden message in the 1992 "Road Test Year Book" with the first letter in each review. The message read out, "So you think it's really good, yeah? You should try making the bloody thing up; it's a real pain in the arse".
He plays flute, piano and saxophone proficiently.
Along with co-presenter of Top Gear Jeremy Clarkson, became the first person to travel up to the magnetic north pole with a car.
When asked by Steve Kroft on "60 Minutes" (24 October 2010) about the fastest speed he'd ever driven in a car, May confirmed that he reached a top speed of 259.2 mph behind the wheel of a Bugatti Veyron Super Sports at the Volkswagen Group's test track in Ehra-Lessien, Germany [ep: Captain Slow Meets the Bugatti Veyron (2007)].
Has a degree in music and an incredible wealth of music knowledge. He can play the piano proficiently, although rarely in public.

I like luxury. It's the new performance.
If you've got the brochure for the Hyundai Accent on your coffee table, can I implore you, please, not to do it. Buy a Fiesta, buy a second-hand Golf, go on holiday. Don't do it!
France is a country you have to drive through to get to Italy. That's all it's there for.
The reason, I think, that Porsche is the best car is, you know when you drive some cars, you get a sense that the car is smiling, when you're driving.
I am officially Captain Slow on the program. I can drive quite quickly around the track - I've done it a bit - but I think fast track driving is a little like playing the bagpipes. A gentleman can, but doesn't.

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