Richard Hammond

About

Richard is beloved by the British public for his charismatic and energetic presenting style and charming nature. He is a broadcaster, writer, and journalist, most noted for co-hosting the car programme Top Gear with Jeremy Clarkson and James May, as well as presenting series 1–4 of Brainiac: Science Abuse on Sky 1.

Richard Hammond became a presenter on Top Gear in 2002, when the show began in its present format.

In 2003, Hammond became the first presenter of Brainiac: Science Abuse; he was joined by Jon Tickle with Charlotte Hudson joining in series 2.

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.

In 2005 he was voted one of the top 10 British TV talents.

From 3 January 2006 until 10 February 2006, Hammond was the eponymous star of Richard Hammond’s 5 O’Clock Show with his co-star Mel Giedroyc of Light Lunch fame.

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. He is scheduled to present more Bank Holiday specials for the station.

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

In March 2010, Hammond presented a 3 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.

Hammond was also a team captain on the BBC Two quiz show, Petrolheads, in which a memorable part was one where Hammond was tricked into smashing his classic Ferrari while trying to parallel park blindfolded in another car.

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. The following year he joined the cast of TV show Ashes To Ashes for a special insert on the 2008 Children in Need special.

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 discovers how the inventions of the past, along with assistance from nature, help designers today.

Hammond is currently presenting Planet Earth Live alongside Julia Bradbury. He also hosts the UK version of the US series Wipeout, called Total Wipeout. It takes place in Argentina, and is co-presented by Hammond and Amanda Byram.

Hammond will also host the upcoming BBC America programme Richard Hammond’s Crash Course.

Richard Hammonds’s warm and charismatic personality has led him to be much in demand as After Dinner Speaker and Awards Host.