Richard Hammond

Early life

Richard Mark Hammond was born on 19 December 1969 in Solihull, Warwickshire, and is the grandson of workers in the Birmingham car industry. In the mid-1980s Hammond moved with his family (mother Eileen, father Alan, and younger brothers Andrew, writer of the 'Crypt' Series, and Nicholas) to the North Yorkshire cathedral city of Ripon where his father ran a probate business in the market square. He attended Blossomfield Infant School in Shirley from the age of 3–7. Originally a pupil of Solihull School, a fee-paying boys' independent school, he moved to Ripon Grammar School, and from 1986 to 1988 attended Harrogate College of Art and Technology.

Career

After graduation, Hammond worked for several BBC radio stations, including Radio Cleveland, Radio York, Radio Cumbria, Radio Leeds, Radio Newcastle and Radio Lancashire, before auditioning for Top Gear.

Top Gear

Hammond became a presenter on Top Gear in 2002, when the show began in its present format. He is sometimes referred to as "The Hamster" by fans and his co-presenters on Top Gear due to his name and comparatively small stature. His nickname was further reinforced when on three separate occasions in series 7, he ate cardboard, mimicking hamster-like behaviour.

Following a high-speed dragster crash while filming in September 2006 near York, Hammond returned in the first episode of series 9 (broadcast on 28 January 2007) to a hero's welcome, complete with dancing girls, aeroplane-style stairs and fireworks. The show also contained images of the crash, which had made international headlines, with Hammond talking through the events of the day after which the audience broke into spontaneous applause. Hammond then requested that the crash never be mentioned on the show again, though all three Top Gear presenters have since referred to it in jokes during the news segment of the programme. He told his colleagues, "The only difference between me now, and before the crash, is that I like celery now and I didn't before".

During the second episode of series sixteen, Hammond suggested that no one would ever want to own a Mexican car, since cars are supposed to reflect national characteristics and so a Mexican car would be "lazy, feckless, flatulent, overweight, leaning against a fence, asleep, looking at a cactus with a blanket with a hole in the middle on as a coat." Hammond finished with the remark "I'm sorry, but can you imagine waking up and remembering you're Mexican?!" Following complaints, the BBC defended the broadcast of this segment on the grounds that such national stereotyping was a "robust part" of traditional British humour.

Following the BBC's decision not to renew Clarkson's contract with the show on 25 March 2015, Hammond's contract expired on 31 March. In April he ruled out the possibility of continuing to present Top Gear, commenting via Twitter that "amidst all this talk of us 'quitting' or not: there's nothing for me to 'quit' not about to quit my mates anyway". On 12 June 2015 the BBC confirmed that Top Gear will return with a 75-minute special, combining two unseen challenges featuring all three presenters from series 22, with studio links from Hammond and May. It aired in the UK on BBC Two on 28 June at 8 p.m, and in the United States on BBC America on 13 July at 9 p.m.

Brainiac: Science Abuse

In 2003, Hammond became the first presenter of Brainiac: Science Abuse; he was joined by Jon Tickle and Charlotte Hudson in series 2. After the fourth series it was announced that Hammond was no longer going to present the Sky1 show after he signed an exclusive deal with the BBC. Vic Reeves took his place as main presenter.

Other television work

Early in his career, as well as his radio work, Hammond presented a number of daytime lifestyle shows and motoring programmes such as Motor Week on Men & Motors.

He presented the Crufts dog show in 2005, the 2004 and 2005 British Parking Awards, and has appeared on School's Out, a quiz show on BBC One where celebrities answer questions about things they learned at school. He has also presented The Gunpowder Plot: Exploding The Legend. Along with his work on Top Gear, he presented Should I Worry About...? on BBC One, Time Commanders on BBC Two and the first four series of Brainiac: Science Abuse on Sky 1. He was also a team captain on the BBC Two quiz show, Petrolheads, in which a memorable part was one where Hammond was tricked into bumping his classic Ferrari while trying to parallel park blindfolded in another car.

In 2006, Hammond fronted the Richard Hammond's 5 O'Clock Show with his co-presenter Mel Giedroyc. The programme, which discussed a wide range of topics, was shown every weekday on ITV between 17:00 and 18:00.

In July 2005, Hammond was voted number one in a Heat magazine poll of top "weird celebrity crushes". Also in 2005 he was voted one of the top 10 British TV talents.

He presented Richard Hammond and the Holy Grail in 2006. During the special, he travelled to various locations around the world, including the Vatican Secret Archives, exploring the history of the Holy Grail.

In one episode of Top Gear, fellow presenter James May was mocked by both Hammond and Clarkson for being named the celebrity with the worst hairstyle, while Hammond was named the celebrity with the best.

As part of Red Nose Day 2007, Hammond stood for nomination via a public telephone vote, along with Andy Hamilton and Kelvin MacKenzie, to be a one-off co-presenter of BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour on 16 March 2007. However, he was defeated by Andy Hamilton.

In April 2007, Hammond presented a one off special on BBC Radio 2 for Good Friday followed by another in August 2007 for the bank holiday.

Hammond recorded an interview with the famed American stuntman Evel Knievel, which aired on 23 December 2007 on BBC Two, and was Knievel's last interview before his death on 30 November 2007.

In September 2008, Hammond presented the first episode of a new series; Richard Hammond's Engineering Connections on the National Geographic Channel. In this show, Hammond discovered how the inventions of the past, along with assistance from nature, help designers today. Episodes include the building of the Airbus A380, Taipei 101 and the Keck Observatory. Series 2 of Richard Hammond's Engineering Connections began in May 2010 and has included the building of the Wembley Stadium and the Sydney Opera House.

Hammond appeared in an advertisement for Morrisons supermarkets in 2008, and joined the cast of TV show Ashes To Ashes for a special insert on the 2008 Children in Need special.

While in New Zealand for Top Gear Live 2009, Hammond filmed several television commercials for Telecom New Zealand's new XT UTMS mobile network. Telecom claimed that the new network was "faster in more places", compared to its competitors and its existing CDMA network. After the network suffered three highly publicised outages in late 2009 and early 2010, Hammond became the butt of a joke when he did not return to New Zealand for Top Gear Live 2010. His fellow Top Gear co-hosts said he was too embarrassed to come back to New Zealand, and in a supposed live feed back to Hammond, the feed suddenly drops out as the "XT Network had crashed". Hammond was later given the right of reply to his colleagues during an interview with Marcus Lush on RadioLIVE's breakfast show in New Zealand.

Hammond hosted the UK version of the US series Wipeout, called Total Wipeout for BBC One. It took place in Argentina, and was co-presented by Hammond and Amanda Byram. Hammond presented and performed the voiceover for the clips in a London studio, and Byram was filmed at the obstacle course in Buenos Aires. The series was cancelled at the end of 2012.

Hammond also presented a science-themed game show for children, Richard Hammond's Blast Lab which aired on BBC Two and CBBC.

In March 2010, Hammond presented a three episode series called Richard Hammond's Invisible Worlds, which looked at things too fast for the naked eye to see, things that are beyond the visible spectrum (e.g., ultraviolet and infra-red light), as well as microscopic things.

One of Hammond's lesser known television roles was as presenter of the BBC Two gameshow Time Commanders, a sophisticated warfare simulator which used a modified version of Creative Assembly's Rome: Total War game engine.

Since February 2011, Hammond has presented an online technology series Richard Hammond's Tech Head. In July 2011, Hammond presented a two-part natural science documentary Richard Hammond's Journey to the Centre of the Planet, focused on Earth geology and plate tectonics.

In April 2012, Hammond hosted a BBC America programme titled Richard Hammond's Crash Course, which was also shown in the UK from September 2012 on BBC Two. In May 2012, Hammond co-presented an animal documentary for BBC One called Planet Earth Live alongside Julia Bradbury. The programme recorded animals living in extreme conditions.

In June 2014, Hammond presented a scientific fourteen part series on National Geographic Channel titled Science of Stupid which focused on the application of physics in everyday life. In December, Hammond presented a three-part science documentary for BBC One called Wild Weather with Richard Hammond which focuses on the hidden world of our Earth's extreme weather system.

In September 2015, Hammond presented a two-part documentary for Sky 1 called Richard Hammond's Jungle Quest, supported by Sky Rainforest Rescue.

In March 2017, whilst filming for The Grand Tour in Mozambique, Hammond fell off a motorbike. He reportedly hit his head and became unconscious, further details, however, will only be revealed in series two of the show.

On 10 June 2017 Hammond crashed a Rimac Concept One whilst filming for The Grand Tour in Hemberg, Switzerland. Hammond was on his last run up a timed hill climb course when, just after crossing the finish line, he lost control of the car rolling it several times before it came to rest on its roof. He suffered a fractured knee, but was "conscious and talking" after the crash, according to a source from the show.

Personal life

Richard Hammond has been married to Amanda "Mindy" Hammond (née Etheridge, born 6 July 1965), a columnist for the Daily Express, since May 2002. They have two daughters.

Hammond is known for owning a large number of animals on Bollitree farm including several horses, dogs, cats, chickens, ducks, sheep, and a peacock. He and his family adopted TG, the official Top Gear dog, after it became apparent that the labradoodle was afraid of cars. The dog died aged 11 in January 2017.

The presenter plays the bass guitar, on which he accompanied the other Top Gear presenters when they performed alongside Justin Hawkins on Top Gear of the Pops for Comic Relief in 2007.

He likes to ride his bicycle, scooter, or motorbike in cities, for which he is mocked mercilessly by fellow presenter Jeremy Clarkson.

During the news segment of Top Gear's 2010 USA Road Trip special, Hammond openly expressed his dislike of the band Genesis. This fact was later exploited by his co-presenters (particularly by Clarkson) in three special episodes: during the Middle East Special, when they installed a secret second stereo unit in his Fiat Barchetta that only plays the band's Live over Europe 2007 album; in the India Special, Clarkson played the same song used in the previous special(albeit the Seconds Out version) through the megaphone mounted in his Jaguar XJS, despite Hammond driving a different car (a Mini Cooper Sport). In the 2013 Africa Special, Clarkson once again played Genesis in an attempt to get Hammond to let him pass.

In 2007, Hammond went to Africa on a Top Gear special across Botswana, with his choice of car being a 1963 Opel Kadett, which he subsequently named Oliver. A week after the special was aired, Hammond announced during the news section that he had shipped Oliver back to the UK, where it was restored by a team from Practical Classics magazine. Oliver features on Hammond's children's science television show Richard Hammond's Blast Lab and in another episode of Top Gear as a kind of "Hill-holder" in the trailer truck challenge (after it acquired the fake personal plate "OLI V3R"). Oliver is also mentioned in Hammond's second autobiography As You Do.

In 2010, Hammond was the president of the 31st Herefordshire Country Fair held at Hampton Court in Hope under Dinmore. His involvement caused unprecedented attendance with "nearly 15,000 people" drawn to the event to meet the presenter.

In March 2012, Hammond passed his B206 LST helicopter licence and has since owned a Robinson R44 Raven II helicopter.

Residences

The Hammond family lives in a mock castle in Herefordshire and also has an apartment in London. In an interview with The Sunday Times in February 2008, it was reported that Hammond had moved briefly from Gloucestershire to Buckinghamshire, then back again, because he missed the country life.

In October 2012, it was reported he had spent over £2 million buying Bollitree Castle which is situated near Weston under Penyard, Ross-on-Wye. It has been rumoured he has also bought a large house in the small town of Wantage, Oxfordshire.

Cars

Hammond currently owns or has owned many different cars including:

Cars known not to be in Hammond's possession anymore:

Motorcycles

Hammond is a keen motorcyclist, having ridden for over 30 years. He currently owns or has owned many different motorcycles including:

Motorcycles known not to be in Hammond's possession anymore:

Other vehicles

Furthermore, Hammond owns or has owned the following vehicles:

Charity work

Hammond has been an ambassador of UK children's brain injury charity The Children's Trust, Tadworth for many years.

On 29 September 2013, terminally-ill eight-year-old Emilia Palmer was driven by Hammond in a pink Lamborghini Aventador Roadster. Hammond flew his Robinson R44 helicopter, G-OHAM, to Shobdon Aerodrome, then picked Palmer up from her home in Kimbolton, Herefordshire and drove her back to the airport for a high-speed run on the main runway. The event was arranged at short notice by Rays of Sunshine.

Vampire dragster crash

During filming of a Top Gear segment at the former RAF Elvington airbase near York on 20 September 2006, Hammond was injured in the crash of the jet-powered car he was piloting. He was travelling at 288 mph (463 km/h) at the time of the crash.

His vehicle, a dragster called Vampire, was theoretically capable of travelling at speeds of up to 370 mph (595 km/h). The vehicle was the same car that in 2000, piloted by Colin Fallows, set the British land speed record at 300.3 mph (483.3 km/h). The Vampire was powered by a single Bristol-Siddeley Orpheus afterburning turbojet engine producing 5,000 lbf (22 kN) of thrust.

Some accounts suggested that the accident occurred during an attempt to break the British land speed record, but the Health and Safety Executive report on the crash found that a proposal to try to officially break the record was vetoed in advance by Top Gear executive producer Andy Wilman, due to the risks and complexities of such a venture. The report stated: "Runs were to be carried out in only one direction along a pre-set course on the Elvington runway. Vampire’s speed was to be recorded using GPS satellite telemetry. The intention was to record the maximum speed, not to measure an average speed over a measured course, and for (Hammond) to describe how it felt."

Hammond was completing a seventh and final run to collect extra footage for the programme when his front-right tyre failed, and, according to witness and paramedic Dave Ogden, "one of the parachutes had deployed but it went on to the grass and spun over and over before coming to a rest about 100 yards from us." The emergency crew quickly arrived at the car, finding it inverted and partially embedded in the grass. During the roll, Hammond's helmet had embedded itself into the ground, flipping the visor up and forcing soil into his mouth and damaging his left eye. Rescuers felt a pulse and heard the unconscious Hammond breathing before the car was turned upright. Hammond was cut free with hydraulic shears, and placed on a backboard. "He was regaining consciousness at that point and said he had some lower back pain". He was then transported by the Yorkshire Air Ambulance to the neurological unit of the Leeds General Infirmary. Hammond's family visited him at the hospital along with Top Gear co-presenters James May and Jeremy Clarkson. Clarkson wished Hammond well, saying "Both James and I are looking forward to getting our 'Hamster' back", referring to Hammond by his nickname.

The Health & Safety Executive report stated that "Hammond's instantaneous reaction to the tyre blow-out seems to have been that of a competent high performance car driver, namely to brake the car and to try to steer into the skid. Immediately afterwards he also seems to have followed his training and to have pulled back on the main parachute release lever, thus shutting down the jet engine and also closing the jet and afterburner fuel levers. The main parachute did not have time to deploy before the car ran off the runway." The HSE notes that, based on the findings of the North Yorkshire Police (who investigated the crash), "the accident may not have been recoverable", even if Hammond's efforts to react were as fast as "humanly possible".

The crash was shown on an episode of Top Gear on 28 January 2007; this was the first episode of the new series, which had been postponed pending Hammond's recovery. Hammond requested at the end of the episode that his fellow presenters never mention the crash again, a request which has been generally observed, although occasional oblique references have been made by all three presenters. On The Edge: My Story, which contains first-hand accounts from both Hammond and his wife about the crash, immediate aftermath, and his recovery, was published later that year. Hammond also appeared on the BBC chat show Friday Night with Jonathan Ross revealing he was "a bit fighty" right after the crash and then in a coma for two weeks.

In February 2008, Hammond gave an interview to The Sunday Times newspaper in which he described the effects of his brain injuries and the progression of his recovery. He reported suffering loss of memory, depression and difficulties with emotional experiences, for which he was consulting a psychiatrist. He also talked about his recovery in a 2010 television programme where he interviewed Sir Stirling Moss and they discussed the brain injuries they had both received as a result of car crashes.

Car and motorcycle books

Children's books

Biographies

DVDs

1. Brainiac: The Best of Series 1 (2003, ITV).
2. Richard Hammond's Engineering Connections: Complete Series (2008, Umbrella Entertainment, Australia release).
3. Brainiac: The Complete Series (2008, ITV).
4. Richard Hammond's Engineering Connections: Series One (2009, Nat Geo DVD).
5. Richard Hammond's Blast Lab Blow-Ups (2009, Universal Pictures UK).
6. Richard Hammond's Invisible Worlds (2010, 2|Entertain).
7. Richard Hammond's Engineering Connections: Series Two (2010, Nat Geo DVD).
8. Hammond Meets Moss (2010, Acorn Media UK).
9. Richard Hammond's Journey To The Centre Of The Planet (2011, 2|Entertain).
10. Richard Hammond's Engineering Connections: Series Three (2011, Nat Geo DVD).
11. Total Wipeout: Series 5 Celebrity Specials and Final (2012, endemol).
12. Richard Hammond's Crash Course Series 1 (2012, BBC, Australia release).
13. Richard Hammond Builds a Planet (2013, BBC, Australia release).
14. Richard Hammond's Miracles of Nature (2013, Acorn Media).
15. Richard Hammond's Wildest Weather (2014, SBS, Australia release).
16. Richard Hammond's Jungle Quest (2015, SBS, Australia release).

Top Gear DVDs

1. Top Gear: Back in the Fast Lane - Best of BBC Series 1 & 2 (With Jeremy Clarkson and James May) (2003, 2|Entertain).
2. Top Gear: Revved Up (2005, 2|Entertain).
3. Top Gear: Winter Olympics (With Jeremy Clarkson and James May) (2006, 2|Entertain).
4. Top Gear: Collection Box Set - Back in the Fast Lane + Revved Up + Winter Olympics (With Jeremy Clarkson and James May) (2006, 2|Entertain).
5. Top Gear: Interactive Challenge Quiz (2007, 2|Entertain).
6. Top Gear: Series 9 (With Jeremy Clarkson and James May) (2007, BBC/ Studio Hamburg Enterprises, Germany release).
7. Top Gear: The Challenges (With Jeremy Clarkson and James May) (2007, 2|Entertain).
8. Top Gear: Interactive Stunt Challenge Quiz (2008, 2|Entertain).
9. Top Gear: The Great Adventures - Polar Special (With Jeremy Clarkson and James May) (2008, BBC, Australia release).
10. Top Gear: The Great Adventures - US Special (With Jeremy Clarkson and James May) (2008, BBC, Australia release).
11. Top Gear: The Challenges 2 (With Jeremy Clarkson and James May) (2008, 2|Entertain).
12. Top Gear: The Challenges 1 & 2 Collection (With Jeremy Clarkson and James May) (2008, 2|Entertain).
13. Top Gear: Uncovered - The DVD Special (2009, 2|Entertain).
14. Top Gear: Polar Special (With Jeremy Clarkson and James May) (2009, 2|Entertain).
15. Top Gear: The Great Adventures 2 (With Jeremy Clarkson and James May) (2009, 2|Entertain).
16. Top Gear: The Great Adventures - Vietnam Special (With Jeremy Clarkson and James May) (2009, BBC, Australia release).
17. Top Gear: The Great Adventures - Botswana Special (With Jeremy Clarkson and James May) (2009, BBC, Australia release).
18. Top Gear: The Great Adventures 1 & 2 Box Set (With Jeremy Clarkson and James May) (2009, 2|Entertain).
19. Top Gear: Best of the Stig (With Jeremy Clarkson and James May) (2009, 2|Entertain).
20. Top Gear: Series 10 (With Jeremy Clarkson and James May) (2010, 2|Entertain).
21. Top Gear: The Challenges 3 (With Jeremy Clarkson and James May) (2009, 2|Entertain).
22. Top Gear: The Challenges 4 (With Jeremy Clarkson and James May) (2010, 2|Entertain).
23. Top Gear: The Great Adventures 3 (With Jeremy Clarkson and James May) (2010, 2|Entertain).
24. Top Gear: Apocalypse (With James May) (2010, 2|Entertain).
25. Top Gear: The Challenges 1-4 Collection (With Jeremy Clarkson and James May) (2010, 2|Entertain).
26. Top Gear: Series 11 (With Jeremy Clarkson and James May) (2011, 2|Entertain).
27. Top Gear: Series 12 (With Jeremy Clarkson and James May) (2011, 2|Entertain).
28. Top Gear: Series 13 (With Jeremy Clarkson and James May) (2011, 2|Entertain).
29. Top Gear: The Challenges 5 (With Jeremy Clarkson and James May) (2011, 2|Entertain).
30. Top Gear: At The Movies (With James May) (2011, 2|Entertain).
31. Top Gear: The Great Adventures 4 (With Jeremy Clarkson and James May) (2011, 2|Entertain).
32. Top Gear: The Great Adventures 1 - 4 Box Set (With Jeremy Clarkson and James May) (2011, 2|Entertain).
33. Top Gear: Double Bill - The Hammond & May Specials - At the Movies + Apocalypse (With James May) (2011, 2|Entertain).
34. Top Gear: Series 14 (With Jeremy Clarkson and James May) (2012, 2|Entertain (2011 US release)).
35. Top Gear: Series 15 (With Jeremy Clarkson and James May) (2012, 2|Entertain (2011 US release)).
36. Top Gear: Series 16 (With Jeremy Clarkson and James May) (2012, 2|Entertain (2011 US release)).
37. Top Gear: Series 17 (With Jeremy Clarkson and James May) (2012, 2|Entertain (2011 US release)).
38. Top Gear: Series 18 (With Jeremy Clarkson and James May) (2012, 2|Entertain).
39. Top Gear: Triple - The Great Adventures Polar Special + The Great Adventures US Special + The Challenges Volume One (With Jeremy Clarkson and James May) (2012, 2|Entertain).
40. Top Gear: The Challenges 5 (With Jeremy Clarkson and James May) (2012, 2|Entertain).
41. Top Gear: The Challenges 6 (With Jeremy Clarkson and James May) (2012, 2|Entertain).
42. Top Gear: The Great Adventures 5 (With Jeremy Clarkson and James May) (2012, 2|Entertain).
43. Top Gear: 50 Years of Bond Cars (2013, 2|Entertain).
44. Top Gear: The Perfect Road Trip (With Jeremy Clarkson) (2013, BBC).
45. Top Gear: Series 19 (With Jeremy Clarkson and James May) (2013, BBC, Australia release).
46. Top Gear: Series 19 and Series 20 Boxset (With Jeremy Clarkson and James May) (2013, 2|Entertain).
47. Top Gear: The Great African Adventure (With Jeremy Clarkson and James May) (2013, 2|Entertain).
48. Top Gear: Season 21 (With Jeremy Clarkson and James May) (2014, BBC DVD).
49. Top Gear: The Perfect Road Trip 2 (With Jeremy Clarkson) (2014, BBC DVD).
50. Top Gear: Burma Special (With Jeremy Clarkson and James May) (2014, 2|Entertain).
51. Top Gear: Best of British (With Jeremy Clarkson and James May) (2014, 2|Entertain).
52. Top Gear: The Complete Specials Box Set (With Jeremy Clarkson and James May) (2015, 2|Entertain).
53. Top Gear: The Patagonia Special (With Jeremy Clarkson and James May) (2015, 2|Entertain).
54. Top Gear: Season 22 (With Jeremy Clarkson and James May) (2015, DFW).
55. Top Gear: Greatest Hits (With Jeremy Clarkson and James May) (2015, 2|Entertain).
56. Top Gear: The Perfect Road Trip 1 & 2 (With Jeremy Clarkson) (2015, 2|Entertain).
57. Top Gear: Ambitious But Rubbish (2015, BBC, Australia release).
58. Top Gear: A-Z - The Ultimate Extended Edition (With Jeremy Clarkson and James May) (2016, 2|Entertain).

Television advertisements

1. Morrisons (2008)
2. Morrisons (Christmas 2008)
3. Morrisons (2009)
4. Morrisons (Christmas 2009)
5. Top Gear Turbo Challenge Trading Cards Test Set (2009)
6. Top Gear Turbo Challenge Trading Cards (2010)
7. Top Gear Interactive Challenge DVD (2007)
8. Top Gear Interactive Stunt Challenge DVD (2009)
9. Top Gear Uncovered DVD (2009)
10. Top Gear [Re-Runs On Dave] (2009)
11. Telecom XT network NZ (2009)
12. BBC Iplayer Touching the Stars (2011)