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James May: Former 'Top Gear' presenter to host solo Japan travelogue for Amazon

May breaking from co-presenters Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond

Clémence Michallon
New York
Monday 11 March 2019 14:01 GMT
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James May launches FAB1 Million by driving from Land's End to John O'Groats on 18 April, 2013 in Land's End, England.
James May launches FAB1 Million by driving from Land's End to John O'Groats on 18 April, 2013 in Land's End, England. ((Photo by Eamonn M. McCormack/Getty Images))

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Top Gear star James May will host a solo travelogue for Amazon focused on Japan.

The TV personality is breaking away from his longtime co-presenters Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond - who worked with him on both the BBC’s Top Gear and The Grand Tour on Amazon - for the new show, Variety reported.

May teased the forthcoming programme in a video shared on his Twitter account on Monday morning, which shows him at Heathrow Airport in London, ready to board a plane.

“I’m about to depart to make a six-part travel documentary for Amazon Prime and I’m going to... one of these places,” May says in the video before pointing to an information board.

The new programme, Our Man in... Japan, is May’s first solo show for Amazon.

He previously co-presented Top Gear with Clarkson and Hammond from 2003 to 2015.

The trio reunited on The Grand Tour, which premiered in 2016.

May told Variety of his journey to Japan: “I intend to immerse myself in it completely, in the pursuit of enlightenment and life balance. And I bet the noodles will be fantastic.”

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Amazon announced in December last year that The Grand Tour would return for a fourth series, saying in a statement at the time that Prime Video “will continue to be the home for Jeremy, Richard and James for years to come”.

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