Richard Hammond on his past, present and future

Richard Hammond joins Autocar for our weekly podcast, My Week In Cars.

Speaking from his own classic car repair shop, The Smallest Cog, Richard is currently a star from TV shows The Grand Tour and Richard Hammond's Workshop, and is formerly from Top Gear and myriad other engineering and other entertainment programmes (we have a particular soft spot for Total Wipeout).

Here Richard talks to Autocar's weekly pod presenters, Steve Cropley and Matt Prior, about his life and times: how he came into television, his current projects, his plans for The Smallest Cog, what cars and motorcycles he owns, and how he sees the future of motoring.

You can find Autocar's weekly podcast, My Week In Cars, from wherever you get your podcasts.

Autocar, the world's leading motoring magazine and website, delivers industry-leading news, the most in-depth car reviews and opinion from our team of experts. Our presenters include some of the world's top motoring journalists who have unrivalled access to the world's fastest, rarest, most exotic and most exciting cars on some of the world's best roads and race tracks.

[Carfeu]

Richard just feels like an old friend to us

[pauliewalnuts]

richards quick witted humor is unrivaled. Everyone wants to be funny but even during this relatively serious podcast, he still manages to have every answer verbalized in a humorous way.

[Cloxxki]

Hammond's greatest talent may be following his heart and acting on intuition. The way he brought the lads fish and chips, refused to lose his fav car shop and put his money where his heart was. And he knew it could be combined with his passion for broadcating. It's an utter triumph if you think of it. This kind of thing falls into everyone's laps, but we don't see it or fail to say YES to these slightest of opportunities.

[andyburnett]

As a car enthusiast and admirer of all things top gear (Clarkson, Hammond and May) I absolutely (in a purely platonic way) love Richard Hammond. He's a jewel of British broadcasting and motoring journalism. If I had the good fortune of ever meeting him I'd bow down and worship his entertaining magnificence 🙏

[michaelmueller]

Thank you for this. Listening to Richard be interviewed by skilled and knowledgeable people is one of life's most rewarding simple pleasures.

[michaelsaunders]

No airs and graces, no " look at me" attitude just seems like a genuine bloke,

[mikeplatts]

What a thoroughly nice, down to earth guy Richard is, I wish him all the best for the future.

[MartinBaldock]

Fascinating conversation, most enjoyable and glad Richard has an understanding of the potential for different approaches to the future of the car, not just EVs

[majidalborz]

Great conversation, very enjoyable. Thanks to all three of you.

[timothyhairston]

The more I listen to Hammond the more I realize some people are just inevitable. He was always going to be some version of this in every timeline, one of a kind bloke

[elmofeneken]

What an enjoyable evening I had tonight sitting here watching this video on this frigid evening at my residence and nothing enjoyable on the TV to watch. Richard thanks for entertaining me this night.

[GhostNation]

Great interview and great to see Richard in his brief serious moments talking passionately about the future of the motor industry. Great questions and a lovely relaxed and informal feel to the whole interview. Thank you 🙂

[WAFFLNATORE]

This needs more views, a well hidden gem

[BiggerThanFrogs]

Really enjoyable conversation. Thank you.

[nottmfunguy]

Great interview, I always got time for Richard Hammond. I understand Matt Prior is a big advocate for EV. I think Richard was spot on with his view of EV's.

[misterprofessionality]

Richard having a little excited pop every time he hears an air wrench in the background is just precious.

[stephenmorgan]

Great show but please tell your event photographer that they don’t need flash :-)

[gavla-]

What a interesting Podcast. Fully agree with Richard, "give us a choice". I have always said my 2003 Ford Fiesta is much greener then an EV, mainly because she doesn't do more then 1500 miles a year. It would be more damaging to scrap a perfectly good working car and trying to find the cost of a new EV. Then having the issue of not being able to charge it at home, due to living a block of apartments with no outside socket.

[goncalomoura]

Matt Prior, I have to tell you. You were in front of two monsters of automotive journalism, and you seemed a bit contrived, a bit humbled, just quietly and respectably listening to what those legends were discusting. Sir, I must point, you stand on the same ground as those two gentlemen, you are one of the greatest auto journalists that I have ever saw or read in my automotive life!

[cdg]

Excellent stuff. We’d never get anything like this on TV these days