James May: On Top Gear, tea and driverless cars
Radical with Amol Rajan
BBC
4.5 • 919 Ratings
🗓️ 23 November 2023
⏱️ 24 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In this extra edition of The Today Podcast, James May talks to Amol and Nick about Top Gear, tea and driverless cars, as he is announced as one of this year's Today programme guest editors.
James, who is one of the presenters of The Grand Tour and a former presenter of Top Gear, will take the editorial reins and make a programme with the Today team this Christmas and he's got some interesting ideas about what he would like to explore.
James also explains why he thinks Top Gear needs a rethink and he needs your help in finding Britain's last tea trolley.
Can you help James? Get in touch by sending us a message or voice note via WhatsApp to +44 330 123 4346 or email us Today@bbc.co.uk
The Today Podcast is hosted by Amol Rajan and Nick Robinson, both presenters of BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, the UK’s most influential radio news programme. Amol was the BBC’s media editor for six years and is the former editor of the Independent, he’s also the current presenter of University Challenge. Nick has presented the Today programme since 2015, he was the BBC’s political editor for ten years before that and also previously worked as ITV’s political editor.
The producers are Tom Smithard and Rufus Gray. The editors are Jonathan Aspinwall and Louisa Lewis. The executive producer is Owenna Griffiths.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | BBC Sounds, Music, Radio, Podcasts. |
| 0:04.7 | Hello, you're listening to the Today Podcast with me Amol. |
| 0:07.6 | And me, Nick. |
| 0:08.3 | And this is an extra special Christmas treat, because in a moment, you're going to hear an interview |
| 0:12.7 | with James May, the Grand Tour presenter and former Top Gear presenter, of course. |
| 0:16.9 | Bit early for Christmas, isn't it? |
| 0:18.6 | But he is one of our Christmas guest editors this year on the Today program. |
| 0:24.0 | Because every year we let, for some reason, we let a series of invited guests guest edit the Today program. |
| 0:30.9 | Now, of course, they don't get to choose the news. |
| 0:33.5 | That just happens. |
| 0:35.0 | But what they do get to choose is all the other bits in the programme. |
| 0:40.0 | So like you, if you're shouting at the radio saying, why don't you talk about this? |
| 0:45.4 | Over the years, we've allowed people like Prince Harry, Angelina Jolie, Reim Sterling, and Yoko Ono to do just that. |
| 0:52.7 | We wanted to find out what James May had in mind for his guest edit, |
| 0:55.8 | so we invited him to the Today Podcast Studio. |
| 0:59.2 | And you're about to hear what happened. |
| 1:17.7 | Welcome. Well, we have a new editor. |
| 1:20.1 | James May is here. |
| 1:20.9 | James, welcome. |
| 1:21.7 | Thank you. |
| 1:22.0 | Hello. |
| 1:23.6 | This is absolutely terrifying. |
... |
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