AFTER years of working alongside James May on set, Richard Hammond has revealed one regret he has related to his co-star.
The pair have been making appearances on The Grand Tour and Top Gear together for over two decades.
While speaking on podcast Who We Are Now, Richard admitted he hasn’t always been sensitive about a condition James suffers from.
The mechanic and show host told therapist Josh Fletcher that he sometimes ‘made light’ of his co-star’s OCD.
Richard reflected: “I’m thinking back to, you know, days on those TV shows that I’ve done with my dear colleagues, Top Gear and Grand Tour, and James…
“We used to… and I’m feeling bad about it talking to you now, Josh, because I’m thinking, ‘Wait a minute – we were part of that’ – making light of what is, for some people, a really, really serious condition. We used to hit James with it all the time.
“If you stand next to James and this watch that I’m wearing has a bezel on it; you know, a bit around the edge. If I put it so it doesn’t line up straight…
“He and I used to sit – we had a lot of time to sit in cars being bored.
“And I deliberately set it like that. The only thing is I’ve set it out of kilter now, and it’s slightly annoying me, but I can then straighten it up and I’m happy.”
OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) is a mental health condition which causes unwanted thoughts and compulsive behaviours.
James May previously addressed the flippant way many people speak about the disorder when speaking about the reason why he always carries nail clippers around with him.
He told Virgin Radio: “On my bunch of keys [I’ve got] a miniature set of nail clippers.
“Some people are going to say immediately, ‘you’ve got OCD because you carry nail clippers around with you’.
“Now, OCD is a genuine and serious condition. It’s not a cheap insult to be levelled at people having to like doing things properly.
“I don’t like having long or broken fingernails. But apart from that you’d be surprised how useful these are.”
TV presenter and journalist James May has enjoyed a long on-screen career, with a main focus on motoring. Here is a look at some of his biggest projects.
