A former writer on Top Gear and The Grand Tour has offered a rare behind-the-scenes insight into what Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond are really like away from the cameras — and according to him, the answer may not surprise long-time fans.
The trio first rose to global prominence on Top Gear, transforming the long-running BBC programme into one of the most successful factual entertainment formats in television history. Their on-screen chemistry — built on mock arguments, ambitious road trips and mechanical misadventures — became the defining feature of the show.
That era came to an abrupt end in 2015 when Clarkson departed the BBC, with May and Hammond soon following. The three later reunited on The Grand Tour, produced for Prime Video, where they continued their globe-trotting specials. The series concluded last year with the feature-length finale One For The Road, filmed across Zimbabwe and Botswana, marking the end of more than two decades of collaboration.
Now Richard Porter, who worked closely with the presenters across both programmes, has reflected on his experiences writing for them. Porter originally joined Top Gear in the 1990s before leaving, only to return in 2002 when Clarkson was brought back to relaunch the show in its now-iconic format. He went on to serve as writer and script editor during the programme’s most successful years and later held the same role on The Grand Tour.
Writing in Evo magazine, Porter described the trio in characteristically colourful terms.
“They were adults behaving like children; they were clever people doing stupid things; they were ambitious and adventurous, often beyond their abilities,” he wrote.
According to Porter, the personalities viewers saw on screen were not exaggerated inventions for television. Instead, he suggested the dynamic was largely authentic.
“For the last 20-odd years, people have regularly asked me what they’re like in real life,” he explained. “And I would answer, entirely truthfully, that they were pretty much exactly the same as you saw on the screen.”
That authenticity, he admitted, could occasionally be tiring. The high energy, competitive banter and constant search for comedic escalation sometimes made working alongside them demanding. But more often, he said, it made for an unforgettable environment.
“Sometimes that could be exhausting and annoying, but most of the time it made them tremendous company,” Porter added. “I can’t remember ever being in a room with them for more than five minutes and not laughing deeply from the base of my belly.”
His comments reinforce what many fans have long suspected — that the enduring success of Clarkson, May and Hammond was rooted less in scripting and more in a genuine friendship built on shared humour and mutual provocation. Even as their flagship series has now concluded, their on-screen legacy remains one of the most influential chapters in modern motoring television.
