Richard Hammond has defended the decision to air the latest special of The Grand Tour, which includes footage of co-star James May's crash.
During filming for the upcoming special, titled A Scandi Flick, May was hospitalised after crashing into the wall of a naval base whilst travelling at 75mph, with tests revealing he suffered a broken rib. Though he said the crash looked "dramatic", May has since said he was "basically okay".
In an interview with the Evening Standard, Hammond maintained incidents such as these are part of the job, saying: "It's the story, it's what happens. You have to tell the story as it unfolds."
Related: James May explains why it's harder to film without Top Gear pals
Hammond, who hosts The Grand Tour alongside May and Jeremy Clarkson, famously had a major crash in 2006 when filming precursor show Top Gear, resulting in him being placed in a coma for two weeks.
The presenter, also known for hosting Brainiac: Science Abuse and Total Wipeout, referenced this previous incident, joking that May had now taken his crown "as the one who crashes".
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Related: The Grand Tour's Richard Hammond discusses moments of 'real peril' filming the series
A Scandi Flick arrives on Prime Video on September 16 and sees the trio travel across Norway, Sweden and Finland in their first release since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Revealing that the special contains "real moments of peril", Hammond is still thankful for having the opportunity to fulfil his passion, paying tribute to the fans who have enabled his career.
"We've been incredibly lucky that it became as big as it became and that we've been allowed to carry on doing it as long as we have," he said. "We're very appreciative of the fact that we have been very lucky to get to make the shows on the scale that we have."
The Grand Tour Presents: A Scandi Flick will air on September 16, on Amazon Prime Video.
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Reporter, Digital Spy George is a freelance writer who specialises in Movies and TV. After graduating with a degree in Film Studies and Journalism from De Montfort University, in which he analysed the early works of Richard Linklater for his dissertation, he wrote for several websites for GRV Media. His film tastes vary from blockbusters like Mission: Impossible and John Wick to international directors such as Paolo Sorrentino and Hirokazu Kore-eda, and has attended both the London and Berlin film festivals.
