James May Has One Regret About 'The Grand Tour' Series Finale

James May joins Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond in second season of BBC drama Top Gear By 2003, the trio had become the (un)holy trinity of global car culture, connecting with people around the world through the universal language of internal combustion engines, humor, and the occasional nuclear-class discussion.

Producer Andy Wilman, who has been on the show since the beginning, describes James May as the “viewer” in the co-host dynamic. “It's like he's got half his foot in the living room, and it's not a show he really likes,” Wilman says. And that's exactly May's appeal—especially to viewers who might call themselves one foot in the fan base.

We spoke to May about the series finale Grand TourIt will be released on Amazon on Friday, September 13. One for the RoadThe two-hour special takes the guys to Zimbabwe, a country they've never visited before, and then wraps up the series by returning to the Botswana salt flats where they ended their first travel special. Top Gear In 2007—I conclude their adventures with a particularly touching edit, the surprise of which I won’t spoil for you here.

Over the course of more than two decades, May has developed strong opinions about cars, roads and countries, and he was kind enough to share them with us…

Men's Magazine:What was the best car you drove on the show?

James May: I would say the Ferrari 458 Speciale.

What about the worst car?

Definitely from Crosley [The Grand Tour special] European collapse.

So what are the best roads to drive in the world?

There is a place near Takayama in Japan [the Hakusan Shirakawago White Road] the road winds through the mountains. the view is great and there is a noodle bar at the top. I also liked the road in Colorado with rock formations on both sides [State Highway 141 in Mesa County]And I love the A-40 between London and Oxford.

Is there anything you regret over the years?

Probably crashing [Mitsubishi] Evolution [in “A Scandi Flick”]because it hurt and I felt bad about it because I really love that car and I know it has a very loyal fan base. And they're a little bit mad at me for wrecking it. So I'd like to take this opportunity to apologize to the Evo owners club. I won't do it again.

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Where were the most exciting places you frequented?

It tends to be quite exciting because that's the way we do it. There are several places in the US that I like. I really like shooting in parts of Africa – Botswana and Zimbabwe – Japan is great, France is great and to be honest, England is great if you're driving the right car and having the right adventure.

Was there a location that was a nightmare while you were filming?

I think it was Madagascar for driving. You couldn't even call that road a track; it was just a truck track. It was difficult. Administratively, Italy is a very difficult place to film. It's not really difficult for us in the car, but it's challenging for the people who have to organize it because unlike any other country, they have rules about what you can and can't show, and you can shoot a wide shot of the Colosseum and it costs 10,000 euros. So, from a filmmaker's perspective, it's Italy. From a driving perspective, it's Madagascar.

How to find one of the best moments: Your favorite moment from the shoot Grand Tour over the years?

I had a great one while driving over sand dunes in Namibia. I had a great one recently [Zimbabwe] special. We arrived at the campground at night and it was cool and the stars were shining. We were exhausted, but I knew there was a beer waiting for me. And I had that moment of euphoria that you don't really see in the movie. It's one of those moments where you think, “I actually do this for a living and this is great and worth it.”

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What would be the biggest surprise for people who learned how these travel opportunities were created?

Probably how long it takes to plan and how many people are involved in the setup, shooting, production and editing. It's two hours long and I don't know how many people were on the crew but I think it was over 70. We used to have about 12 people but as things got more elaborate the crew got bigger, the camp got bigger and the budget got bigger. When you look at the television business in general it always amazes me how little you get for the number of hours you put in.

I think that would be amazing, especially for the YouTube generation who are used to basically producing TV content with a very small handheld camera or on their phone. Grand Tour It's still a huge operation. It's like moving an army.

How have the last 22 years changed you?

I think there's an old adage that travel broadens the mind, which I've never been convinced of. I think it's usually an excuse to take too many vacations. But I think to have It actually broadened my perspective on the world. It's one of the things that's going to be hard to finish The Grand Tour Rather than embarking on constant global adventures, he settles for a few modest vacations a year.

So, in a way, it spoiled me [and] It probably made me a little bit complacent about international travel and adventure, because I was doing it for a living and we were doing it all the time. But overall, I think it made me a better, broader-minded, more curious person than I would have been if I had stayed home and worked at a bank.

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What would your father say about working from home?

Oddly enough I was talking to him about this a few weeks ago and my family was of that generation that honestly couldn't believe that this was a business.It happened I should say a job. But I also think he was secretly very impressed that, between us, we had managed to turn what seemed like a constant male laughter into a 22-year career and livelihood.

It's not as simple as we and the editors make it seem. It can be quite tiring and difficult, but frankly we're not complaining about it. We're not talking about it because it sounds rude, [in order] claiming it's the best job in the world, because, to be brutally honest, it is.

On your last trip across the salt flats, you say, “I hope we brought you some happiness.” Is that all there is to it for you?

I hope we did because I know a lot of people don't like us and blame us for all the bad things in the world and everything else. But over the years, I've gotten messages and letters from people who say, “You three have helped me through some really tough times.” Through depression, through serious illnesses, through people who were honestly contemplating suicide. And they said, Grand Tour And Top Gear he had helped them with this before.

So, if we did it for just one person, I think it was worth it. And the important thing to always remember is that we did it for the audience. They were our first responsibility, and I think if we made a lot of people very happy, even if just for a short while, it was worth doing.

Well, thank you for using yourself as a guinea pig for the rest of us.

Yes, someone had to do it.

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