Talk:James May/Archive 1

Archive 1

Hammond crash

Someone has written that James May was supposed to have been driving the car that James Hammond crashed in yesterday. How, pray tell, do they know this? 82.71.2.60 21:16, 21 September 2006 (UTC)

I added a ref for it... however I'm not entirely sure that it's notable. It seems commonplace (as stated in the article) for them to switch around based on availability. - Blah3 22:28, 21 September 2006 (UTC)

Yes, originally Hammond could not do it as he had previous arrangements. The car though ended up being rescheduled and so Hammond drove it (he had been begging to do it). --Viper007Bond 17:38, 30 September 2006 (UTC)

Vandalism?

May often refers to himself as "the greatest track coach there ever was". Wasent it like "The other bloke of TG"? --85.167.136.205

Thanks for pointing it out - it was indeed vandalism by yet another idiot with nothing better to do. Halsteadk 09:46, 19 December 2006 (UTC)

He's not dead!

Someone keeps writing that James died on 13 February 2007. That's absolutely not true! —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 203.208.88.170 (talk) 00:21, 18 February 2007 (UTC).

Nice photo

just wanted to say nice new photo whoever put it up! —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 203.208.88.170 (talk • contribs).

Hey, thanks for noticing. I uploaded it and got the permission for Wikipedia to use it, but all of the credit goes to Ed Perchick for releasing it under a license that Wikipedia can use. --PS2pcGAMER (talk) 01:35, 3 April 2007 (UTC)

Sniff petrol

In August 2006, it was revealed that May is a frequent contributor to the online motoring humor magazine Sniff Petrol.

Anyone care to cite a source on this? I'm not saying it's not true, it just seems like it has a good chance of being a joke. --Viper007Bond 17:38, 30 September 2006 (UTC)

To tie this in with my edit of the article, the reference for this is [1]. Although he has contributed, "frequent" can't be determined (reading it literally he has contributed at least 3 times). Halsteadk 17:39, 17 July 2007 (UTC)

AutoCar Message

I found a picture of the Autocar Message in an imageboard and have put it in the article, but since I don't know the licensing status of the image it says it will be deleted in a week.

The image can be found here http://aycu40.webshots.com/image/15559/2001651411993860722_rs.jpg

Someone please edit the page properly. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Arunkshrestha (talk • contribs) 10:02, 25 May 2007 (UTC)

The image was a screenshot of scans I'd taken and shared on FinalGear.com. I've tried to clean up the page and remedy the licensing. Minervamoon 19:02, 25 May 2007 (UTC)

I'm going to redo the edit to complete the quote. I know the first 16 characters aren't on that picture, but I have a copy of the supplement and this is the correct quote. Notice the front covers advertises 100 cars reviewed and there aren't that many pictured. Jmg48 12:44, 17 August 2007 (UTC)

I think that's unnecessary: "ROAD TEST YEAR BOOK" was spelled out in red drop-capitals, but that was not part of his hidden message (and not, therefore, the point of the section regarding his dismissal from AutoCar). Minervamoon 16:55, 19 August 2007 (UTC)

So it was part of the hidden message, i.e. hidden in the red drop-caps along with the rest of the message. If we're agreeing on that then surely the whole message should be included? We could speculate on which part of the message he got dismissed for, but that's not really the point. He won't have had editorial approval for the inclusion of any part of the message (it was only published because it slipped through the proof-reading process, and you couldn't possibly notice part of the message and not the rest of it). In any case, the message doesn't really make a lot of sense without the first part. "So, you think it's really good?", refers to the fact that he's cleverly made the first letters of the first 16 articles read the title of the supplement. Jmg48 17:40, 20 August 2007 (UTC)

I agree, it is part of the hidden message. We should not be trying to redefine what part of it was more important than the rest, simply reproduce the facts. It would be good to see a revised image showing this however. Halsteadk 19:44, 20 August 2007 (UTC)

The first 16 characters were meant to be seen. May has said in interviews that he hid a few sentences, not that he hid the actual title of the supplement, which would be absurd. You can't possibly believe that "you think it's really good" refers to those four words; it refers to the whole supplement itself, i.e., "You think this section is good? We'll, it's been difficult work." The Wikipedia article already says "May's role was to put the entire supplement together, which 'was extremely boring and took several months'."

And to quote directly from the 2006 Richard Allinson interview:

"Well, I can't remember exactly what it said, it was to the effect that you might think that this is a really great thing but if you were sitting here making it up you'd realise that it's a real pain in the--I'm not sure I can say this on Radio 2--arse." Minervamoon 02:32, 21 August 2007 (UTC)

I think you've misunderstood the nature of the message. It was all hidden - the first 16 chars were part of the hidden message, they weren't the title of the supplement, that was written on it in big capitals at the beginning as you'd expect, not hidden in the drop caps as part of the hidden message. If May had been referring to the articles it would read something like 'writing the bloody thing', not 'making the bloody thing up'. You don't 'make up' reviews, you write them. You do, however 'make up' a means of sneaking a hidden message past your editor. I'll try and dig out my own copy and post the missing pages. Please don't edit the full quote unless the consensus view swings the other way - opinions from anybody else would be much appreciated. Jmg48 08:23, 23 August 2007 (UTC)

Television subsection

Hello,

I've reorganised a little bit the televesion section in order to try and make it a bit clearer and better structured. However, I feel it still needs some work for it to be up to Wikipedia standards. What do you think? Amhantar (talk) 02:00, 8 December 2007 (UTC)

Yes Hello, could they change the "rotting shark" thing for the actual name of the "delicacy" of Hakarl

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H%C3%A1karl <-- link —Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.50.35.195 (talk) 14:28, 19 January 2008 (UTC)

Father

If his surname is really May why does the article say his father was the "Reverend G. C. Mills"??? Gustav von Humpelschmumpel (talk) 13:59, 28 December 2007 (UTC)

Rev. Geoffrey Mills was the Rector of Whiston Parish Church, which James attended. Not sure how the text came to say that Rev. Mills was James' father. I edited the text to correct the problem. Austinman (talk) 00:58, 31 December 2007 (UTC) James bears a strong resemblance to Tim Mills, son of Reverend Canon Mills. I suspect it was a case of vandalism79.72.37.219 (talk) 18:10, 4 March 2008 (UTC)

Double award winner

Shouldn't there be something in here that he won Heat Magazine's 'wierd crush of the year' in either 2007 or 2008. Also, he won first place for the worst celebrity hairstyle on tv (the Hamster was first) didn't he?Melon247 (talk) 21:12, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

OCD

James may appears to have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder or simmerlar as highlighted on some epsisodes of top gear, could this be respectfully intregrated into the article somehow. Alan2here 09:55, 1 November 2007 (UTC)

~I dont really think he actually has OCD, he's just a bit unusual, i'd like to hope even Mr.Clarkson wouldn't make fun of a genuine disability. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 65.34.174.140 (talk) 19:58, 20 November 2007 (UTC)

Everyone has their idiosyncracies. I like to keep my phone in the left pocket and keys in the right. That doesn't make me OCD - creature of habit, human, yes. But not OCD. True OCD is a serious mental condition causing the person afflicted significant difficulty in leading a normal life. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 80.229.91.27 (talk) 03:29, 31 December 2007 (UTC)

I assume this refers to the skit where Clarkson taunted him by turning the bezel on his aviator watch to be misaligned... I don't think it's meant to be actual OCD, but perhaps picking on him being somewhat pedantic and slightly eccentric in his ways, and.. yes, maybe a little obsessed with cleanliness, given the small brush he keeps in his Bentley to clean dust from the switches. As the show is scripted, and the scene was played out with excellent comic timing and a wry smile on James' face, it was put in for humour's sake rather than any serious suggestion of mental affliction. 82.46.180.56 (talk) 18:38, 14 April 2008 (UTC)

Swearing on the telly

Why can you say "Cock" on the BBC (like May constantly does) but not "bollocks"?--Cancun771 (talk) 22:29, 2 May 2008 (UTC)

You can. See here --Rodhullandemu 22:37, 2 May 2008 (UTC)

But why then is it that they keep bleeping it out on Top Gear?--Cancun771 (talk) 17:29, 5 May 2008 (UTC)

Because it's broadcast before the watershed (9pm), I believe. --Rodhullandemu 17:36, 5 May 2008 (UTC)

Getting married?

Yeah, right! Oh, and his girlfriend is called Sarah, not Jennifer...

James says hes a single Bachouler? from his last bit of work he made it quite clear he has no gf?

To my knowledge he is not currently dating a female. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.251.89.74 (talk) 01:36, 9 December 2007 (UTC)

Despite the ribbing he gets for foppishness on the show, and the kidding little details (such as his seen sitting reading the Gay Times when sat next to Hammond at one point ... it's largely scripted, remember), he does by his own claim (in the Telegraph, other websites etc) have a girlfriend in a stable relationship... not regularly cohabiting (because of the smallness of her flat, and the messiness (!) of his house), but certainly together, and even considering whether to have children as neither of them are that young any more. 82.46.180.56 (talk) 18:45, 14 April 2008 (UTC)

Can I ask regarding the children thing, do you have any articles, etc, which state this? I haven't heard James mention this before. Thank you. Aaurora (talk) 05:54, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

Image removal?

I seem to recall there was a really good image accompanying this article at one point. Why has that been removed? -82.45.60.218 (talk) 13:15, 16 July 2008 (UTC)

It was on Commons but deleted because it wasn't categorised. Without looking at it I can't tell if it was a copyright-free image (as it must be for a living person) or not. I will contact the deleting Admin on Commons and ask him to take a look at it. Meanwhile, if anyone has a picture they've taken themselves and is prepared to donate it to Commons, that would be great. Thanks. --Rodhullandemu 14:35, 16 July 2008 (UTC)

Adding a table

I am adding a table for James' filmography, dvds etc. It will look more presentable. Any concern message me. Thank you. Xxxsacheinxxx (talk) 12:00, 12 September 2008 (UTC)

Education

He is depicted as having a considerable amount of knowledge in physics (and calculus) and I was wondering whether anyone might have data on where he studied this. The article says that he studied music... If he learned it all on his own, I'd say he's quite incredible and it would definitely be worth writing about in the article. Thanks. XJeanLuc (talk) 00:57, 29 November 2008 (UTC)

• Additions along those lines would need some good, reliable sources. Just my $0.02. DP76764 (Talk) 01:08, 29 November 2008 (UTC)

The fact that he studied music at university doesn't mean he wouldn't have studied these as well at school, in fact they are useful subjects for the technical side of music. In any case these subjects are pretty much mandatory at least up to GCSE/O-level which would include calculus, laws of thermodynamics etc. (Perhaps the more remarkable thing is that he's remembered them!) Halsteadk (talk) 10:04, 29 November 2008 (UTC)

Oz and James

All his other projects, e.g. top gear, journalism, 20th century... are listed in the introductory paragraphs. I thing Oz and james's wine adventure and drink to britain should deserve a sentence at that point. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 91.108.97.202 (talk) 03:42, 15 January 2009 (UTC)

Removal Of guest appearances

User:Queenie Reomved a large chunk of inforamtion earier. Was this a mistake or on purpose (if so why) lordmwa (talk) 21:55, 2 February 2009 (UTC)

It has gone through peer review recently and apparantly there was a lot of irrelevent info in it, so I removed it. If someone thinks that some of the stuff I removed was notable, they are welcome to put it back in. Sorry if I seemed to be removing things willy-nilly. Queenie ^Talk 19:46, 15 February 2009 (UTC)

Cars

"May has owned several cars, including a Bentley T2, a 1971 Rolls-Royce Corniche, a Jaguar XJS, a Range Rover, a Fiat Panda, a Datsun 120Y, a Porsche 911, a Porsche Boxster S (which he claims is the first car he has ever purchased new)[6] a Mini Cooper, a Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder and several motorbikes. He has a penchant for prestige cars like Rolls-Royces and Bentleys, as well as simple and basic cars such as the Fiat Panda."

this is quite a hefty paragraph, and quite a claim, but seemingly without any sources or citations at all. should it be removed? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 88.130.99.59 (talk) 19:25, 14 February 2009 (UTC)

I wouldn't say two and a bit lines is "hefty". There is one source in there however only mentions the Porsche. It does need more sources but due to the nature of his job most of the information is from the show, and unless the scripts are online for us to source it'll probably stay that way. I'd say keep it, for the time being.--Uksam88 (talk) 18:41, 25 February 2009 (UTC)

Fake twitter account

I've posted an extra line or two to the personal life section and had it removed twice for vandalism. Why this is I dont know as what I am posting is completely factual and not written in an offensive or biased manner. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.25.202.169 (talk) 21:20, 26 August 2009 (UTC)

It is being removed because you do not provide a reference to the "fact" it is fake. Providing a link to the twitter page itself (as you did on your second attempt) doesn't show that it is a fake, you need to show that someone has authoritatively said it is fake (May himself denying it is his or saying "I do not Twitter" would be best, but a news story from someone like the BBC would be good too). On the flip-side, as no-one has provided a reference that it is genuine, it isn't already in the article for that reason! On biography pages, references are non-negotiable for things like this - this is probably why your edits are being considered as vandalism rather than a "good faith" mistake. Please check out WP:REFS and WP:BIO before continuing, although I hope the above is useful to explain how these policies apply in this particular case. Regards, Halsteadk (talk) 22:28, 26 August 2009 (UTC)

Siblings

I know he is in between 2 sisters, but I'm sure I read somewhere that he has a brother. Anyone confirm this? 172.206.31.170 (talk) 12:51, 26 December 2007 (UTC)

This is probably due to an oft cited suggestion that he is directly related to Brian May of "Queen" fame. He is not, and this rumour seems to be based upon nothing more than their having the same surname and hairstyle. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 212.56.93.169 (talk) 12:11, 5 October 2009 (UTC)

Personal life?

The personal life section of this article is...well, lacking. It seems more like a small trivia section than anything else. Firejdl 08:59, 8 November 2007 (UTC)

Is there any truth to the claim (as stated on Top Gear, end of series 3) that he has a music degree? :) 82.46.180.56 (talk) 19:03, 14 April 2008 (UTC)

The wikipedia article says that he lives with his partner, but the referenced interview says otherwise: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4161/is_20070916/ai_n20505018/ nick (talk) 00:34, 7 November 2009 (UTC)

The other reference against this paragraph covers everything and is a lot more recent than the findarticles.com one. I've removed this reference as it serves no purpose. Halsteadk (talk) 00:56, 7 November 2009 (UTC)

Weight

Seeing as we're including personal information like height, what about weight? Or his medical history? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 88.97.18.12 (talk) 23:43, 14 January 2009 (UTC)

If you can see find how any of that is noteworthy, a battle with a weight disorder or some disease, and can find references, go for it. Dashren2001 (talk) 08:01, 24 November 2009 (UTC)

"Oh, cock"

I added that May's famous phrase is "Oh, cock" after the bit about OCOK being on his plane, since people unfamiliar with his programs wouldn't get it without the context. Someone has removed it. Why?

I'm re-adding it tomorrow unless cause is brought. Dashren2001 (talk) 07:24, 25 November 2009 (UTC)

Okay, readded. I would ask that whoever wishes to remove it again please say why first, thank you. Dashren2001 (talk) 02:39, 27 November 2009 (UTC)

Picture

Why has the picture of James May been changed?? The previous one is much better. Stop screwing around —Preceding unsigned comment added by 112.118.161.11 (talk) 05:03, 15 September 2010 (UTC)

-fixed —Preceding unsigned comment added by 112.118.161.11 (talk) 05:06, 15 September 2010 (UTC)

Private Pilots Licence

The comment about James studying for PPL at White Waltham states that he didn't qualify. This means that in the Top Gear episode where he raced across Europe with Hammond in the plane there must have been an instructor on board the Cessna 182 Skylane along with Hammond and a cameraman. Either that or he has qualified for PPL but just not added a night rating yet. --Anon

Who deleted my comment about him suffering from acrophobia, the fact is he did and he mentioned it numerous times on the television. Watch Big Ideas episode 3 and Top Gear Bolivia Special. 118.100.87.180 (talk) 04:31, 25 October 2010 (UTC)

Why does James May keep calling the Moon a planet?

On the first paragraph of page 94 of "James Mays Magnificent Machines" (James May and Phil Dolling, Hodde and Stoughton Ltd, Copyright 2007, ISBN 9780340950920) he says "A man was standing on another planet..." when describing the first Moon landing! Elsewhere in the book he refers to the Moon as a planet and I recall he even did this on a television program. What authority does this man have to talk of science and technology when he makes such an elementary error? Perhaps this journalistic farcical factual failing should be mentioned on Wiki under the "James May on the Moon" section? --90.199.197.91 (talk) 16:56, 12 April 2010 (UTC)

Check out dictionary.com or even Wikipedia's own article on Planets. You will see that the Moon was, in antiquity, referred to as a planet. Given James' penchant for yesteryear it doesn't surprise me in the least that he would define the moon thusly. --Bapaveza (talk) 16:19, 2 June 2011 (UTC)

Or maybe he is just not being careful enough to use the correct term, or doesn't care... – ukexpat (talk) 16:21, 2 June 2011 (UTC)

NOT the highest flying person

"This made him the highest flying person, along with the pilot, at that time, after the crew of the International Space Station."

That's not true. Mig-25 and Mig-31 have 15,000 ft HIGHER ceiling, so any regular Russian military pilot is the highest flying person. A Russian TV-show "Aviators" featured an episode showing a pilot and the show host flying a Mig-25 at 25,000 meters which is 82,000 ft. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 92.124.21.120 (talk) 10:53, 14 May 2010 (UTC)

The comment on the programme was made on the basis that they were the highest AT THE TIME THEY WERE FLYING, as you have quoted above. Halsteadk (talk) 13:42, 15 May 2010 (UTC)

And how would they have known that a Mig was not flying higher at the same time? Socrates2008 (Talk) 11:37, 3 June 2011 (UTC)

Employer in infobox.

In the infobox in this article there is an Employer section listen the Beeb and the Telegraph. This doesn't seem to be common practice on wikipedia so would anyone object if I removed this section? IrishStephen (talk) 22:49, 30 November 2012 (UTC)

German colours

In the 24-hour race, a decal on the car appears to show a German flag after his name. His helmet also bears a German flag decal. The television edits I have seen do not explain a reason for this. Fotoguzzi (talk) 19:20, 31 December 2011 (UTC)

It's probably just meant to be a visual joke. James is quite stereotypically English and it's just to mock him. Simple, really. IrishStephen (talk) 22:52, 30 November 2012 (UTC)

Source of the Nile

I have been looking at the map and looking at their map and it seems like the team chose a random river section to go to rather than the farthest east point? anyone know exactly what spot they went to? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.28.255.180 (talk) 05:45, 12 March 2013 (UTC)

"arse"

Is it really necessary to LINK the word "arse" to the wiki page for "arse"? It seems insane to me but.... —Preceding unsigned comment added by Whecht (talk • contribs) 16:03, 6 November 2009 (UTC)

I think the word may not be familiar to non-UK readers, and that's what wikilinking is intended for. Rodhullandemu 16:16, 6 November 2009 (UTC)

The wikilink was removed some while ago. Rodhull, wikilinks are NOT for the purpose of turning Wikipedia into cross-English dictionary so that everyone's equally conversant/comfortable with how an article reads. 76.102.1.129 (talk) 10:11, 21 August 2013 (UTC)

Edit request on 12 March 2013

It is also widely accepted that in 2012 James May discovered the true source of the river Nile, along with his Top Gear co-stars. EvaaaH (talk) 17:59, 12 March 2013 (UTC)

Not done: please provide reliable sources that support the change you want to be made. Also the proposed wording ("it is widely accepted...") is not appropriate for Wikipedia. —KuyaBriBri^Talk 21:29, 12 March 2013 (UTC)

To add to this section - Top Gear japery is unlikely to be accepted by any serious geographers. When National Geographic - or similar - recognise May as the discoverer of the Nile's source, then it might warrant inclusion. Until then it's not worth more than a passing comment on the actual Top Gear page.

I might be persuaded on a comment along the lines of "In the 2013 Top Gear challenge May beat his colleagues to what they considered the source of the Nile" - but even then I doubt it.

To the editor who took the time to email me regarding this continual insertion - watching a show is not proof that it is true. Despite claims to the contrary, Top Gear is entertainment and the truth is often stretched - if not completely ignored. If everything they say and did was true then this episode would not have come about, as May died at the end of the Albanian road trip. Chaheel Riens (talk) 15:42, 2 June 2013 (UTC)

How is the writing of Richard Francis Burton distinct from "entertainment [in which] the truth is often stretched"? Rt3368 (talk) 14:15, 1 June 2014 (UTC)

Well - did Burton die by driving a Yugo off a cliff before exploring the African Lakes? Or was his eighties Ford Fiesta shelled by a tank, completely destroying it - yet not harming him in the slightest? If Burton has those kind of actions listed in his repetiore, then to reciprocate we could include May as a serious Geographer. Chaheel Riens (talk) 19:02, 21 June 2014 (UTC)

This doesn't answer or address my question. Who knows how many times Richard F. Burton died, or in what vehicle(s)? How are we to really know whether his survival until 1890 wasn't just one of his many "embellishments"? Rt3368 (talk) 22:17, 20 September 2014 (UTC)

Clarification needed regarding the Toyota Hilux

"He also drove the same modified Toyota Hilux up the side of the erupting volcano Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland." The vehicle May drove in this episode was an identical model that was used by the camera crew in the North Pole episode. The actual vehicle driven by May and Clarkson was in the Smithsonian at the time of the Iceland episode. I believe this point should be clarified. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Bsteng002 (talk • contribs) 04:00, 31 March 2015 (UTC)  Fixed I'm also pretty sure it was a different vehicle, plus it was unsourced that it was the same vehicle, so I changed it. Joseph2302 (talk) 10:27, 31 March 2015 (UTC)

You are both correct - the vehicle May drove up the volcano was the one used by the camera crew when out on the ice. This is stated very clearly in the episode itself. Chaheel Riens (talk) 11:56, 31 March 2015 (UTC)

Lead

" He is the co-presenter of the motoring programme Top Gear, alongside Richard Hammond and formerly Jeremy Clarkson."

Suggest: He is widely known for his years as a presenter alongside Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond on BBC's Top Gear.

I believe you will find that his BBC contract, along with Hammond's has lapsed. It is likely that when the dust settles, people will also realize that Jeremy was never really fired himself. His contract was not renewed. Hope you find this change useful. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 50.1.165.207 (talk) 09:46, 4 April 2015 (UTC)

I've made this change, it seems appropriate now that May has said that he won't continue presenting the show without Clarkson and Hammond [2]. January (talk) 11:54, 23 April 2015 (UTC)

Foreign languages?

I noticed he speaks german quite accent-free. Do we have some information about his foreign language skills? 176.2.41.46 (talk) 20:21, 21 June 2015 (UTC)

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Nicknames

Seems a nickname war has started. "Captain Slow" and "Mr. Slowly" have been in use for many years. Various blogs and news sites refer to him as such. Please feel free to Google "james may nickname". If you need a direct reputable source, try here: telegraph.co.uk or dave.uktv.co.uk — Preceding unsigned comment added by Cbabb7 (talk • contribs) 16:25, 21 December 2017 (UTC)

"Mr Slowly" is not as common as "Captain Slow", in fact most of the other seldom-used nicknames are based around variations of "Captain Slow" in the first place. Chaheel Riens (talk) 17:53, 21 December 2017 (UTC)

Fair enough. "Mr. Slowly" is used in other languages. I've seen it on forums and they mentioned on the show. Cbabb7 (talk) 00:43, 22 December 2017 (UTC)

That may be true, but this is English wikipedia. In Russia he is known as Капитан Улитка (Captain Snail) but I think we can pass on adding that one. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Toasted Meter (talk • contribs) 00:51, 22 December 2017 (UTC)

OBE

The article currently claims that James May has been appointed an OBE, but I'm unable to find any reputable source to back this up. --Lewis Hulbert (talk) 01:11, 31 December 2017 (UTC)

Appears to be added in this revision by an unregistered editor. --Lewis Hulbert (talk) 01:16, 31 December 2017 (UTC)

I've found no sources for it as well, so until a source can be found, I'm just going to remove it. Nford24 (PE121 Personnel Request Form) 10:07, 5 January 2018 (UTC)

The Grand Tour

Perhaps someone should make mention of "The Grand Tour" on his biography considering how well it is doing? 2601:189:580:D006:AC76:343A:5A54:48D7 (talk) 23:53, 3 March 2019 (UTC)

Scottish independence referendum

In the 2014 Scottish independence referendum, voters were asked "Should Scotland be an independent country?" Yet on this article we have changed it to "Scotland would vote to remain part of the United Kingdom". Is there some special reason to turn the question upside down like this? I can't see it. --The Huhsz (talk) 12:31, 2 December 2019 (UTC)

In the absence of any argument to the contrary here, I've reinstated my edit. --The Huhsz (talk) 13:28, 3 December 2019 (UTC)

Banter in infobox

People have put various Clarksonesque soubriquets in the infobox. Depending on the time of day these look affectionate bordering on abusive.

.... Captain Slow, Mr Slowly (To the Italians),Bim(To Robohon)

I can't help thinking that friendly abuse from Clarkson (1) is a Clarkson trademark and (2) tells us more about Clarkson's public persona than about May's.

But if it belongs in an entry about Mr.May at all, I think it belongs in the text somewhere, and not in the infobox. What do other people think?

Thanks for any thoughts shared. Be well. Charles01 (talk) 14:35, 12 September 2020 (UTC)

Political

Anyone know what side of the political spectrum he lies? With Clarkson being a Tory, and Hammond being socialist, where does May fall? He writes for the Telegraph, wich suggests right wing, but he doesn't seem Tory.

I can' imagine Clarkson (a boy from a mining town in Yorkshire) would be Tory I'd say may seems to be a Tory but I can't imagine him moving to some huge house, he'd just rattle around. He's a verry odd Tory. mattmaloneypresents 14:50 GMT

Clarkson once said; "James thinks oversteer is a left wing plot". So at least we could say he's not left wing.

No, all this proves is that Jeremy Clarkson once made a humorous remark about it on an entertainment programme. Britmax (talk) 15:07, 19 October 2020 (UTC)

Xenophobic views towards the Welsh

In 2004 James was criticised for his xenophobic views on Welsh speakers, where he said; "..if a bunch of pasty-faced ginger separatists insist on conversing in their native tongue, that's their lookout, but for the rest of us it's baffling and even dangerous. Please drive slowly appears as 'gyrrwch yn ofalus' but by then you're through the village anyway..". .The information above is to document the correct and factual words used by James May, this information above is monitored closely by those who wish to protect the image of May, they have threatened me with 'libel' warnings yet, how is it 'defamatory' when he himself published those remarks towards a whole group of people who wish to live using their mother tongue? May argues that the use of Welsh on road signs as 'baffling' (yet it's not baffling if you speak Welsh) and 'Dangerous' (only dangerous to idiots who cannot fathom that laws are made to protect the native tongue in Wales), to protect his image yet allow himself to publish idiotic rhetoric is folly and threatening wiki contributors with factual, evidential based resources is dangerous to democracy and at the very least, cowardice. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Hogyncymru (talk • contribs) 15:49, 12 October 2020 (UTC)

References

To add- the user who threw the 'libel' threat towards my edit was denied his request arguing it was not libellous.— Preceding unsigned comment added by Hogyncymru (talk • contribs) 16:06, 12 October 2020 (UTC)

The term used was Personal Attack, not libel. Your wall of refs does not seem to substantiate the assertion that his views were "xenophobic" - that appears to be your interpretation, and cannot stand. Dorsetonian (talk) 15:13, 12 October 2020 (UTC)

Of course, calling Welsh speakers "pasty-faced ginger separatists" is clearly not xenophobic, come on!, he's classing a whole culture of people as something derogatory , as much as you would stereotype coloured people, you see, the word 'racism' is technically incorrect because it suggests that there are more than one human races in existence, yet there is not, you can place colour of skin in the same bracket as those which represent different cultures, the only difference is that being coloured is seen with the eyes yet to find out a person's culture, you have to tell them, to tell me that it's my 'interpretation' suggests that I am delusional and only view it from my own viewpoint.. however to have it published in more than one article shows how many people took offence to it., let's not forget that he also described Mexican food as "like sick with cheese on it" so why are you protecting his public image? To add- the user who threw the 'libel' threat towards my edit was denied his request arguing it was not libellous.— Preceding unsigned comment added by Hogyncymru (talk • contribs) 16:06, 12 October 2020 (UTC)

(edit conflict)As per Dorsetonian, there is a big difference between libel and personal attacks. You are essentially continuing the attacks with commentary such as "threatening wiki contributors with factual, evidential based resources is dangerous to democracy and at the very least, cowardice" - although due to the vitriol, it's not entirely clear who it's aimed at - whether James May or Wiki editors. This seems to fall under WP:UNDUE as much as anything else, and my previous statement that you may have a nationalistic COI seems to be upheld by your statements above of "only dangerous to idiots who cannot fathom that laws are made to protect the native tongue in Wales".

Finally - please observe BRD - you have been reverted, so rather than reverting your preferred version back in and then discussing, discuss first. Chaheel Riens (talk) 15:34, 12 October 2020 (UTC)

Maybe my wording was a little off, however, to call me a nationalist goes against my argument as to why May's public image is protected from xenophobic attacks on a group of Welsh speakers, I'm speaking on behalf of All Welsh speakers (who all have their own political believes), why would you assume that I am nationalistic for protecting culture?

Your wording is a lot off, and the content of your wording supports your nationalistic views. You misunderstand the purpose of roadsigns - they are not to protect a native tongue, but to inform road users of conditions ahead, and thus should be as clear and as concise as possible. Your edits contain a high percentage of pro-welsh content, and your username translates to "Welsh boy". You say you are "speaking on behalf of All Welsh speakers", which suggests both WP:SOAPBOX and WP:GREATWRONG. You also obfuscate the term "racism".

Also, can you sign your posts please, as per WP:SIGN - "This page in a nutshell: Please sign your posts on talk pages..." Thanks. Chaheel Riens (talk) 06:53, 13 October 2020 (UTC)

He's being a little rude, that's all. Good-natured banter of the rougher kind, no reason for busybodies to get their trousers in a twist. As for the Welsh, well, there's pros and cons.tickle me 18:52, 30 October 2020 (UTC)

@Tickle me: I hope you're laughing with the self-deprecating humour there, rather than mocking it.

@Hogyncymru: your proposed change is highly unlikely to happen because it's clear from the context of your comment that the reason you'd like to see this included is WP:ADVOCACY, rather than an interest in building an accurate, proportionate representation of the topic (James May). That doesn't mean that your point is completely invalid. Some of the sources you've shared there may be worthy of examination – the problem is you'd need to drop your patriotism and familiarise yourself with our guidelines on neutrality. In articles about living people, we don't include information unless there's significant coverage in reliable secondary sources. While I'm a bit surprised that this article lacks a controversies section, unlike the articles of his co-presenters Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond, this can probably be explained the the relatively small size of this article compared to the other two. Jr8825 • Talk 05:23, 31 October 2020 (UTC)

References

Bim

One robot mispronouncing his name for humorous impact does not qualify the result as a nickname to go into the infobox. Britmax (talk) 15:22, 19 October 2020 (UTC)

If that TV show was the only source you would be right, I think. But he refers to himself as "Bim" on his Twitter now. If he uses the nickname himself, it's probably fair to include it. Grzesiekbrzen (talk) 04:26, 9 December 2020 (UTC)

Hey Bim, guess what? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 5.151.132.211 (talk) 00:58, 27 October 2020 (UTC)

James May vs James screen persona

I notice that it is very common when people talk about these three to forget that what you see on screen is just that: entertainment. Top Gear/TGT are almost completely scripted shows, and there is no reason to assume that anything shown on any of them has any real bearing on the actual personalities or beliefs of the person in private life. For instance, James May did not "receive his sobriquet for his slow driving style", his character is presented as being a slow, cautious driver, and the nickname was invented as a part of the show. I presume there is often some element of reality behind most of the things they make up, but it cannot be assumed just because it was seen on the show. Clarkson is not really incapable of changing a lightbulb. The presenters knew perfectly well how to spell "Koenigsegg", only according to Wikipedia they "were unable to spell it correctly". No, they PRETENDED to be unable to spell it, for amusing effect. The character "James May" is not a reference for the person James David May. It's simple enough to make a slight change in the wording to reflect that this is what the show presented, not that it's an actual fact.

Other examples, it says James "built a full scale house out of Lego bricks" and that he "created a life-sized motorcycle out of Meccano components". Did he actually do either of these things, or did he "do" them the same way that the Top Gear presenters "built" the Hammerhead Eagle i-Thrust or their amphibious vehicles, or the Hovervan: that is to say, they were built by technicians in a shop somewhere for use as props, with a few scenes filmed showing the presenters "building" them for appearances sake. The presenters may have conceived of the machines, but they did not build them (yet I bet if I got to Clarkson's page it'll say he did somewhere). On his show, he was presented as having done these things, but that's about as far as you can go with facts, unless you have a good reference to him confirming that he did indeed build them himself (and how one guy builds a full size Lego house, I don't know), or the show fully details his work and the process of building the object, you should stick to saying only that the show presented him as doing the thing, not claiming that what it presented is factual.

64.223.218.84 (talk) 02:52, 5 February 2021 (UTC)

Adding "Bim" to other names

Add "Bim" to the other names section, this is a nickname robohon calls james by in James May: Our Man in Japan (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lku3ew_qC5o) — Preceding unsigned comment added by SiegeSkyy (talk • contribs)

 Not done: please provide reliable sources that support the change you want to be made. The "other names" list is intended to be names that are widely known and used, and have received significant coverage in published sources. ‑‑ElHef (Meep?) 12:57, 17 April 2021 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 25 September 2021

Remove from former employer list: W Chump and Sons Ltd

Remove from introduction OR replace with correct information that seems redundant: From 2015 until 2019, he was a director of the production company W. Chump & Sons.

Proof: https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/09668527/officers

shows James May is still an active director

I believe there is justified confusion as James May (alongside Hammond, Clarkson and producer Andy Wilman) all used to be directors of now dissolved companies Chump Productions Ltd and Chump Holdings Ltd

Proof: https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/officers/Ya72InV67ybJmcJsvcTC6GUshMg/appointments

The ownership claim in the former employers list unfortunately cannot be proven or disproven as Companies House only shows ownership of those with "significant control", which are those who own between 25% and 50% shares and voting rights.

Apologies if I haven't formatted this correctly, I've never submitted a request before. I hope this helps and sorry for likely taking this too seriously! Mrsguyliner (talk) 23:07, 25 September 2021 (UTC)

 Done

I moved the WC&S out of the "Former list as per your request, your source seems updated and reliable. As for your concern about the claim 'owner', I wasnt sure, but I have replaced it with the word director for the time being, as it is not wrong to state. Someone with other sources should feel free to change that back if I was wrong for doing so. Signed, I Am Chaos (talk) 19:15, 20 October 2021 (UTC)

James May place of residence

On episode 5 of "our man in Italy" James States he lives in South Wiltshire. 2022 82.22.130.56 (talk) 21:40, 4 January 2023 (UTC)