Meet Richard Hammond, whose full name is Richard Mark Hammond. Richard Hammond is an English journalist, TV presenter, mechanic, and writer. Let’s check out his full biography and net worth below.
He is well-known for hosting the popular BBC Two motoring show, Top Gear, alongside Jeremy Clarkson and James May from 2002 to 2015. Since 2016, he has been presenting The Grand Tour on Amazon Studios with Clarkson and May.
Hammond has also presented other TV shows, including the entertainment documentary series Brainiac: Science Abuse, the game show Total Wipeout, and the nature documentary series Planet Earth Live.
Along with his co-hosts, Hammond launched the automotive social media website, DriveTribe, in 2016, where he regularly shares content on his tribe called “Hammond’s Fob Jockeys”.
Richard Hammond Biography
Richard Mark Hammond was born on December 19, 1969, in Solihull, West Midlands, England. He attended Solihull School and Ripon Grammar School and studied at Harrogate College of Art and Technology. Hammond is a broadcaster, journalist, businessman, and author.
He has been active in the industry since 1998 and is currently employed by Amazon Prime Video. He is best known for co-hosting the BBC Two motoring programme Top Gear with Jeremy Clarkson and James May, and since 2016, the trio have presented Amazon Studios’ The Grand Tour.
Hammond has also presented other shows like Brainiac: Science Abuse, Total Wipeout, and Planet Earth Live. He is 5 feet 7 inches (1.70 m) tall and married to Amanda Etheridge since 2002, with whom he has two children.
Age | Date of Birth
Richard Hammond was born in Solihull, Warwickshire, England, on December 19, 1969. He will be 52 years old on March 31, 2023 ((flyworldinfo.com)).
Nationality | Ethnicity
He is a British National. ((en.wikipedia.org))
Net Worth
Richard Hammond is thought to have a net worth of about £30 million, which is about $41 million USD ((ghgossip.com)). Some sources, though, say that he is worth $45 million USD. ((nextbiography.com))
He has made most of his money through his work as a TV host, journalist, author, and mechanic ((taddlr.com)). Hammond has made the most money from his work on “Top Gear” and “The Grand Tour,” which is a spin-off of “Top Gear”.
Family | Relatives | Parents
Richard Mark Hammond, also known as Richard Hammond, was born in Solihull, England in 1969. He is the oldest of three boys and his grandparents worked in the Birmingham car industry.
When he was in his mid-teens, his family moved to Ripon in North Yorkshire. His father ran a probate business in the market square of the nearby market town of Bedale.
Education Background
Richard Mark Hammond went to Blossomfield Infant School in Solihull, England from ages 3-7. He then attended a fee-paying boys’ independent school called Solihull School before moving to Ripon Grammar School in North Yorkshire.
From 1986 to 1988, he went to Harrogate College of Art and Technology. He once worked shoveling grit into a water filtration plant, according to an episode of Top Gear (Season 16, Episode 5).
Career
Before joining Top Gear, Hammond worked for several BBC radio stations. His friend, Zogg Zieglar, encouraged him to enter motoring reviews on television, which led to his audition for Top Gear.
Hammond was a presenter on Top Gear from 2002 until 2015, and he became known by fans as “The Hamster.” In September 2006, Hammond was involved in a high-speed dragster crash while filming for Top Gear.
He returned to the show in January 2007, after recovering from his injuries. Following the BBC’s decision not to renew Jeremy Clarkson’s contract with the show in 2015, Hammond’s contract also expired.
In June 2015, Top Gear returned with a special featuring all three presenters. During filming of a Top Gear segment in 2006, Hammond was injured in the crash of the jet-powered car he was piloting.
His vehicle, a dragster called Vampire, was theoretically capable of traveling at speeds of up to 370 mph (595 km/h). The accident occurred during a test run and not an attempt to break the British land speed record. Hammond was cut free from the vehicle and transported to a hospital by air ambulance.
Other Television Work
Richard Hammond is a British television presenter who is known for presenting many popular shows. He has presented lifestyle shows, motoring programmes, and quiz shows.
He presented the Crufts dog show in 2005 and the 2004 and 2005 British Parking Awards. In addition, he appeared on School’s Out, a quiz show on BBC One, where celebrities answer questions about things they learned at school.
Hammond has presented several shows, including Top Gear, Should I Worry About…? on BBC One, Time Commanders on BBC Two, and the first four series of Brainiac: Science Abuse on Sky 1.
He also presented a one-off special on BBC Radio 2 for Good Friday followed by another in August 2007 for the bank holiday.
Hammond’s other shows include Richard Hammond’s Engineering Connections, a series where Hammond discovered how the inventions of the past help designers today.
He also presented the UK version of the US series Wipeout called Total Wipeout for BBC One. Additionally, he presented Richard Hammond’s Blast Lab, a science-themed game show for children.
Hammond’s less-known roles include presenting the BBC Two gameshow Time Commanders and hosting Richard Hammond’s Crash Course, a BBC America programme.
In summary, Richard Hammond is a British television presenter who has presented many shows, including lifestyle, motoring, quiz, and science-themed shows. He has also hosted several one-off specials, commercials, and animal documentaries.
Wife | Children | Marriage
Richard Hammond is a British television presenter who is known for co-hosting the popular show Top Gear. He has been married to Amanda “Mindy” Hammond since May 2002 and they have two daughters together.
Hammond’s nickname “Hamster” was given to him by his friend Zogg Zieglar because of his relatively small stature compared to his co-hosts. Hammond is a lover of animals and owns many animals on his farm, including horses, dogs, cats, chickens, ducks, sheep, and a peacock.
He and his family adopted a dog named TG, the official Top Gear dog, after it was afraid of cars. Hammond enjoys playing the bass guitar, riding his bicycle, scooter, or motorbike in cities, and flying his Robinson R44 Raven II helicopter.
In a Top Gear episode, Hammond expressed his dislike of the band Genesis, which was later exploited by his co-presenters. He also owned a 1963 Opel Kadett that he named Oliver, which was restored by a team from Practical Classics magazine.
In 2010, Hammond was the president of the Herefordshire Country Fair and drew a large crowd of nearly 15,000 people. In September 2018, Hammond and his family were burgled while sleeping at a holiday villa in Saint-Tropez.
Residences
Hammond and his family live in a mock castle in Herefordshire and also have an apartment in London. In the past, they briefly moved from Gloucestershire to Buckinghamshire but later returned because Hammond missed the country life.
In 2012, he spent over £2 million to buy Bollitree Castle near Weston under Penyard, Ross-on-Wye, and there are rumors he also bought a big house in Wantage, Oxfordshire.
Charity work
Hammond helps out a UK charity called The Children’s Trust that supports kids with brain injuries and disabilities. In 2013, he did a special event for a terminally-ill eight-year-old named Emilia Palmer.
He picked her up in his helicopter, drove her to an airport, and gave her a fast ride on the runway in a pink Lamborghini that was specially painted for the occasion. The event was organized by a charity called Rays of Sunshine.
Controversies
Hammond, a presenter on the show Top Gear, has made comments and actions that have resulted in complaints from viewers, LGBT rights charities, and foreign diplomats.
In one episode, Hammond said that no one would want to own a Mexican car because it would reflect negative stereotypes about Mexicans. The Mexican ambassador complained and demanded an apology.
In another episode, Hammond made a joke that some people found homophobic. He later said he was not being serious, and that love is love regardless of the $3x of the people involved. Despite this, some people accused him of pandering to prejudice.
