Oh, c*#k! Fans of (earlier) BBC Top Gear and Amazon Prime Video’s The Grand Tour, we come bearing some unpleasant news. James May, everyone’s second favourite host and captain slow, is thinking of hanging up his boots and retiring from TV altogether. 

The automotive journalist and TV personality who’s currently on a press tour to promote his travelogue series titled Our Man in Italy, shared the upsetting news during an interview with Radio Times magazine. 

The 59-year-old confirmed that he’s been “quietly contemplating” retiring from work and suspects that it is not “far off.” When asked what led him to this train of thought, May replied, “I don’t know if it’s because I had a nice time in Italy, or because I’m getting older, or because I’m sick of admin. A very close friend of mine died a few weeks ago. He retired early, because he’d always had this fear that his family isn’t very long-lived, and he wanted to swap possessions for experiences and knowledge.

“That’s what he started doing, but unfortunately he got cancer and it killed him. It was quite interesting thinking about that after he’d gone because it takes a certain amount of courage to say, ‘No, I don’t want to telegraph my success and my sophistication. I simply want to have a nice life and contemplate the mystery and wonder of God’s creation.'”

In the same interview, May also admitted that he’s been largely away from cars and motorcycles since the lockdown, and has been concentrating on cycling. Adding that he cycled most days and found it better than riding a motorcycle.

May explained that while he still enjoyed flying planes and riding motorcycles, he seem to have lost interest in them after being unable to continue his hobbies during the pandemic. Plunging the dagger further into our hearts, May also admitted that he might sell his cars. 

Over the last two decades, James May along with Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond have been a source of inspiration for the current crop of auto enthusiasts. To think that one of the members of the iconic trio might set sail into the sunset is an emotional moment for all of us. 

Featured image credits: Amazon Prime Video