James May: The Grand Tour star says he’s ‘contemplating’ early retirement

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James May has said he is “quietly contemplating” an early retirement.

The Grand Tour star will turn 60 in January next year, and has suggested that retirement is “not far off”.

May hosts the motoring-themed Prime Video series alongside Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond. The trio previously found fame on the BBC series Top Gear.

Speaking to Radio Times, May said that he was “scared of there being more behind me than in front of me”.

“A very close friend of mine died a few weeks ago,” said the presenter. “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.’”

He was then asked wether he planned to retire and sell his cars.

“It’s something I’m quietly contemplating, and I suspect it’s not far off,” he responded.

May can next be seen hosting the six-part unscripted travel series Our Man in Italy on Prime Video.