ames Daniel May was born on 16 January 1963 in Bristol, England. He is one of four children; his father, James, managed an aluminium factory, and his mother, Kathleen, was a nurse. The family moved around Britain during his childhood — he attended Caerleon Endowed Junior School in Newport, Wales, before his teenage years in South Yorkshire, where he was also a choirboy at Whiston Parish Church.

May studied music at Pendle College, Lancaster University, graduating in 1985 with proficiency in piano and flute. Lancaster later awarded him an honorary Doctorate of Letters in 2010. After graduating, he worked briefly as a records officer at a Chelsea hospital before turning to print journalism. He became sub-editor at The Engineer and then Autocar, from which he was famously fired in 1992 for hiding a rude acrostic message in the magazine’s Road Test Yearbook.

His television career began with Driven (Channel 4, 1998–99) and his first stint on the original Top Gear (BBC, 1999). He rejoined the relaunched Top Gear in 2003 alongside Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond on BBC Two, earning the nickname “Captain Slow.” After the trio’s departure in 2015, he co-hosted The Grand Tour on Amazon Prime from 2016 to 2024. He has since produced solo travel and cooking series for Amazon Prime.

May lives in Hammersmith, West London with his long-term partner, art critic and dance reviewer Sarah Frater. He completed a major renovation of his West London home in 2019, combining two properties. He also owns a home in Ansty, Wiltshire. He has no children and has no plans to marry, but describes his relationship with Frater as settled and deeply committed.