James May says 'I've failed' as he addresses life after Top Gear and Grand Tour
Television personality James May has said he has failed at retirement as he addresses his life after Top Gear and The Grand Tour.
James, 62, formed one part of the famous automotive trio alongside Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond that helped define an era of television. In recent months, James has spoken more about the projects he's working on following the end of The Grand Tour.
Speaking to The i he joked that he'd been thinking about his retirement since he was a teenager, but admitted that he's currently having the busiest year of his working life for a long time.
He told the publication: 'I've failed at retirement. I've been thinking about my retirement since I was a teenager: 2025 was going to be my trial retirement year, but I've been accepted to speak at a couple of history festivals and charity events."
He added: 'I've got two TV series, and then I'm doing a live show in Australia, New Zealand and around the UK. This is the busiest year I've had for about a decade. I haven't had a day off in months.'
Whilst James has been continuing to make television series, his former co presenters Richard and Jeremy have also been busy. Jeremy has re-invented himself as a farmer with the launch of Diddly Squat farm and the subsequent Clarkson's Farm series. This Amazon Prime endeavour has seen Jeremy, 65, raise the profile of farmers nationwide.
However, Jeremy has also been exposed to the realities of farming and the impact of the weather on farmers, something that has begun affecting his Cotswolds farm, reports the Standard.
Speaking at the Hawkstone Summer Party at his pub The Farmer's Dog, he said: 'I mean, if there are any farmers here, they'd tell you the same thing.
'Last year, it was the second worst recorded ever, and we think this year is going to be even worse because it just hasn't rained.'
Whilst Jeremy has been running his farm, Richard, 55, has launched his own classic car repair shop. Earlier this year he announced the sad news that his father had passed away during an episode of a podcast he co-hosts with his daughter Izzy.
He told guest Dr T: 'I have to say quite early on that since we spoke to Professor Green [for the podcast] and since then, we've lost my father, Izzy's grandfather. He died. Probably both of us are undergoing change right now.
'I've noticed that since we lost my dad I don't wander around daily in a cloud of… there was tremendous grief, of course there was, he was my dad, but it's kind of in the background.'
'And when it hits me is when I'm pottering about doing something often inconsequential, or thinking about something big, my brain has already formed the thought, 'oh, I must tell dad'.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scottish Sun
a minute ago
- Scottish Sun
Clarkson's Farm star Harriet Cowan admits she is ‘not making any money from farming' despite show appearance
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) CLARKSON'S Farm star Harriet Cowen has opened up on how little the farming industry earns – revealing she makes no money. The 24-year-old made her debut on the latest season of Jeremy Clarkson's beloved Prime Video documentary as a helping hand at Diddly Squat farm. Sign up for the Entertainment newsletter Sign up 5 Harriet has become a loved face on Clarkson's Farm 5 Before appearing on the show, Harriet grew a following on TikTok thanks to her followers Credit: instagram 5 Harriet offered Jeremy advice on farming Credit: YouTube A social media star thanks to her TikToks dancing on her tractor, Harriet's main livelihood comes from farming, having grown up on her granddad's livestock farm. But Harriet revealed that the industry has little financial gain for the family, explaining it's a lifestyle more than a business. Speaking on BBC's Farmwatch, she explained: "We cannot reiterate how important this is for us, that we don't do this because it's going to make us money. Because probably 90% of farms do not make money from the farm, I know I don't." The Great British Bake Off's Mike Wilkins added it was because farmers don't pay themselves, with any money being fed back into the farm. Agreeing, Harriet added: "We just work for free seven days a week, and it becomes such a lonely, lonely place." "Profitability is so under pressure," added Mike. "Most farms aren't making any money, and people really are doing it because it's their lifestyle." Harriet joined the team at Diddly Squat Farm when regular face Kaleb Cooper was on tour promoting his book. Away from the series, Harriet is a full-time nurse as well as helping on her family's farm. A new series of Clarkson's Farm is currently being filmed, and promises to show the most brutal side of the farming world yet with Diddly Squat suffering due to weather and illness outbreaks including an outbreak of Bovine Tuberculosis. Earlier today, Jeremy shared they're preparing for a 'disastrous' harvest as a result of the issues they've faced. Jeremy Clarkson suffers another blow as he reveals beloved dog died as Diddly Squat closed for 2 MONTHS over TB outbreak "It looks like this year's harvest will be catastrophic," he wrote on X. "That should be a worry for anyone who eats food. "If a disaster on this scale had befallen any other industry, there would be a lot of wailing and gnashing of teeth." When one fan told him that this particular 'drama' will make 'good TV' in a future episode of Clarkson's Farm, the former Top Gear star replied: 'Yes. But most farms don't have TV shows to keep them going.' 5 The star says that noone makes money in the industry Credit: Instagram/harrietcowan_x
Powys County Times
8 hours ago
- Powys County Times
Jeremy Clarkson gives insight into farm life and warns of ‘catastrophic' harvest
TV presenter Jeremy Clarkson has provided insight into farming life and warned that this year's harvest 'will be catastrophic'. It comes after the former Top Gear star, 65, said bovine tuberculosis had been found on his Diddly Squat Farm last week. On Friday, in a post to X, formerly Twitter, he said: 'It looks like this year's harvest will be catastrophic. 'That should be a worry for anyone who eats food. It looks like this year's harvest will be catastrophic. That should be a worry for anyone who eats food. If a disaster on this scale had befallen any other industry, there would be a lot of wailing and gnashing of teeth. — Jeremy Clarkson (@JeremyClarkson) August 8, 2025 'If a disaster on this scale had befallen any other industry, there would be a lot of wailing and gnashing of teeth.' In response to a person in the comments section saying that drama makes good TV, he said: 'Yes. But most farms don't have TV shows to keep them going.' Asked if the farm would be able to survive without adjacent businesses like Clarkson's pub and shop, he said: 'Not a cat in hell's chance.' In another response, he said: 'Normal weather would help. 'It never stopped raining in 2024 and never started in 2025.' Last Thursday, he wrote on X that a pregnant cow had contracted bovine TB on his farm near Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire. Cattle which fail a TB test, or animals that have inconclusive results for two consecutive tests, are classed as 'reactors', and must be isolated and slaughtered. Asked in the comments of his X post about the prize bull called Endgame, which Clarkson bought recently for £5,500, he said: 'His test was 'inconclusive'. 'I couldn't bear it if we lost him.' Bad news from Diddly Squat. We've gone down with TB. Everyone here is absolutely devastated. — Jeremy Clarkson (@JeremyClarkson) July 31, 2025 Bovine TB is recognised as a problem which devastates farm businesses and is mainly spread through close contact when cattle breathe in droplets of mucus containing Mycobacterium bovis bacteria exhaled from an infectious animal. Badgers can carry the disease and culling has long been a part of the Government response to the crisis, despite criticism from wildlife and animal welfare campaigners, such as Queen guitarist Sir Brian May. The Government said in June it will not be extending the badger cull and retains its commitment to end the practice before the next election. Oxfordshire is an 'edge area' for bovine TB, meaning it is a buffer zone between high risk and low risk areas, so most herds are subject to six-monthly TB tests by default. The every-day running of Clarkson's farm is documented in a Prime Video series, which first aired in 2021, and brings to light common problems faced by British farmers. Clarkson has become a vocal supporter of farmers and attended a protest in London against the Government's move to introduce inheritance tax on farmland in November 2024.
The Independent
8 hours ago
- The Independent
Jeremy Clarkson gives insight into farm life and warns of ‘catastrophic' harvest
TV presenter Jeremy Clarkson has provided insight into farming life and warned that this year's harvest 'will be catastrophic'. It comes after the former Top Gear star, 65, said bovine tuberculosis had been found on his Diddly Squat Farm last week. On Friday, in a post to X, formerly Twitter, he said: 'It looks like this year's harvest will be catastrophic. 'That should be a worry for anyone who eats food. 'If a disaster on this scale had befallen any other industry, there would be a lot of wailing and gnashing of teeth.' In response to a person in the comments section saying that drama makes good TV, he said: 'Yes. But most farms don't have TV shows to keep them going.' Asked if the farm would be able to survive without adjacent businesses like Clarkson's pub and shop, he said: 'Not a cat in hell's chance.' In another response, he said: 'Normal weather would help. 'It never stopped raining in 2024 and never started in 2025.' Last Thursday, he wrote on X that a pregnant cow had contracted bovine TB on his farm near Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire. Cattle which fail a TB test, or animals that have inconclusive results for two consecutive tests, are classed as 'reactors', and must be isolated and slaughtered. Asked in the comments of his X post about the prize bull called Endgame, which Clarkson bought recently for £5,500, he said: 'His test was 'inconclusive'. 'I couldn't bear it if we lost him.' Bovine TB is recognised as a problem which devastates farm businesses and is mainly spread through close contact when cattle breathe in droplets of mucus containing Mycobacterium bovis bacteria exhaled from an infectious animal. Badgers can carry the disease and culling has long been a part of the Government response to the crisis, despite criticism from wildlife and animal welfare campaigners, such as Queen guitarist Sir Brian May. The Government said in June it will not be extending the badger cull and retains its commitment to end the practice before the next election. Oxfordshire is an 'edge area' for bovine TB, meaning it is a buffer zone between high risk and low risk areas, so most herds are subject to six-monthly TB tests by default. The every-day running of Clarkson's farm is documented in a Prime Video series, which first aired in 2021, and brings to light common problems faced by British farmers. Clarkson has become a vocal supporter of farmers and attended a protest in London against the Government's move to introduce inheritance tax on farmland in November 2024.
