From the turn of the millennium to the mid-2010s, Richard Hammond was unquestionably one of the most recognizable voices and faces of England as he appeared on numerous television and radio shows across the country and beyond. However, what makes him best known is for his work as co-host of Top Gear, alongside Jeremy Clarkson and James May.
Since 2015, when Hammond and his co-presenters left the BBC car programming program unceremoniously, he has moved on as we look back on his early life and career achievements.
the biography
On December 19, 1969, in Solihull, Warwickshire, England, Richard Mark Hammond was born to Eileen and Alan Hammond. Between the ages of 3 and 7, he attended Blossomfield Infant School before joining Solihull School. Hammond graduated from Ripon Grammar School before enrolling at Harrogate College of Art and Technology, where he graduated in 1988.
Richard Hammond went straight into a media career, taking a job at a local radio station before joining a number of BBC radio stations where he honed his presenting skills. In 2002, Hammond got his breakthrough when he auditioned for his career-defining role as a presenter for the BBC car TV show Top Gear.
Just two years after taking office, Richard Hammond and his co-presenters were nominated for a National Television Award in the Most Popular Factual Entertainment Program category. In 2005, as Top Gear began to attract significant fan followings, Hammond and Co. won an International Emmy Award and garnered several other nominations.
In the years to come, while maintaining her Top Gear co-presenter, Hammond began publishing a number of car and motorcycle books, children’s books, and biographies. He also appeared on other TV shows such as Brainiac: Scientific Abuse (2003-2006), Richard Hammond’s Engineering Connections (2008-2012) , Richard Hammond’s Blast Lab (2009-2011), Total Erasure (2009-2011 ), among many others.
In September 2006, Hammond was in a near fatal accident while filming a segment for Top Gear. The presenter was traveling 463mph in a dragster called Vampire from the former Royal Air Force base Elvington when his tire burst, sending him into a spin before he crashed. The car, which came to rest off the track, was found overturned and partially embedded in the grass, with Hammond’s helmet also embedded in the ground. He was unconscious when rescued. However, after getting out of the car, he regained consciousness and was taken straight to hospital where he was treated for brain damage and lower back pain.
According to a report by a health and safety executive, Hammond’s reaction to the incident saved his life, as he was able to brake, skid and most importantly depress the parachute release lever which shut down the turbojet engine and the jets and afterburner fuel throttles.
Richard Hammond was able to make a full recovery and return to work, taking on his many presenting roles in the UK. Recently, he appeared in Science of Stupid (2014-2015) and The Big Ride (2016) alongside his former Top Gear presenters.
Richard Hammond net worth
Richard Hammond is said to have a net worth of around $27 million. With such an account balance, Hammond has been able to afford a very wealthy lifestyle as he lives in a £2.5million castle in Herefordshire and owns a helicopter which he uses to fly to London at work. Besides his rural castle, he also owns an apartment in London and a villa in Saint-Tropez, in the south of France.
Being a petrolhead, it’s no surprise Hammond has owned some of the most expensive and exclusive cars in the world, including a 1931 Superchards 2-litre Lagonda, a 1968 Ford Mustang GT 390, a Porsche 911 GT3 RS, among many others.
Family – wife
Richard Hammond is married to Amanda Hammond (née Etheridge). The couple married in May 2002, around the time Hammond joined Top Gear. Like her husband, Amanda works in the media. She is a columnist for the British tabloid The Daily Express. Together the couple have two daughters. Isabella and Willow.
Height, weight and other facts
Richard Hammond has been the butt of many jokes due to his height of 1.68m (5ft 6in) which earned him the nickname “Hamster”. It also weighs 66 kg.
In addition to his work as a presenter and writer, Hammond is a voice-over artist. He voiced characters in the video games Forza Motorsport 5 (2013) and Forza Motorsport 6 (2015).