James May has opened up about the disastrous car accident he endured while filming the latest series of The Grand Tour.
The 59-year-old TV star was driving at 75 miles per hour while filming the Amazon Prime show in Norway.
Breaking his rally car too slowly, however, James ended up crashing - sustaining injury and setting filming back by a day.
However, the TV star has seen a funny side to his terrifying ordeal, and has joked that he crashed on purpose to add drama to the upcoming episode.
He joked to the Radio Times: “I suppose. I did it deliberately, I knew it was going to be boring otherwise [so I] sort of drove it to the cliff!
“It was very brief, Made a loud bang. It wasn't really that terrible, I don't think. It looks quite dramatic but I was basically OK.”
James did, however, sustain injuries - explaining that he “broke at least one rib” and needing medical treatment.
His car had also been bent ‘out of shape’ by the crash - but James was soon back behind the wheel after his vehicle and himself had been patched up.
He continued: “But actually, because we managed to make the car work, we carried on, we lost about a day, because I had to mend the car, and I was in the hospital for the night. But apart from that, I don't really think it made any difference.”
News of James’s incident had been shared last month - with reports emerging that he had suffered a crash.
A source told The Sun at the time: “It looked extremely worrying at first.
“Jeremy and Richard were concerned about their mate and the paramedics swooped in quickly.
“Medical staff were on standby due to the shows dangerous nature and were needed after the incident.”
James joins Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond on The Grand Tour - after they moved from the BBC ’s Top Gear to Amazon’s show back in 2016.
Richard has suffered a number of terrifying accidents of his own - with fears for his life following one explosive crash in 2006.
Comparing his own crash back in 2006 to James’s one in the upcoming new series of The Grand Tour, Richard joked to the Mirror: “I think selfishly I was more relieved than anything else that somebody had taken the focus off me.”
He continued: “It's much nicer not being the one who's had the accident, but being one of the ones watching it. I think I might go that route in future.
“A moment of brief, fleeting concern for James but an overwhelming flood of concern for that fabulous car buried in a wall.”
However, turning serious, he added that viewers should be aware of the dangers that he, James and Jeremy expose themselves to.
He said: “We've learned and now James has learnt better than most people that just because you're doing it for TV doesn't mean things can't go wrong.
“They do. I've ended up in hospital with things broken, including my brain because they do.”
Do you have a story to sell? Get in touch with us at webcelebs@mirror.co.uk or call us direct at 0207 293 3033.
