James May has teased a rare “personal life” admission ahead of an upcoming appearance on Channel 4. The motoring journalist, who recently claimed he is experiencing one of the busiest years of his life, is set to return to our screens tonight (October 1). The 62-year-old broadcaster is set to be the latest famous face to appear on Perfect Pub Walks, hosted by Alexander Armstrong.
Each week, the Pointless star takes celebs for a watering hole stroll on some of the UK’s most spectacular pub walks. This week, pub owner May joins the presenter on a walk around Yorkshire, where they discuss the landscape’s rich history.
In the hour-long episode, James will open up about his childhood, ageing, retirement, and his eventful days on Top Gear. Teasing his upcoming special, he shared a snap of the pair posing together on a bridge over the river set in the gorgeous Yorkshire countryside.
He captioned the post: “I’m on telly tonight. It’s Perfect Pub Walks on Channel 4, in which Alexander Armstrong tries to extract information about my personal life. I resist, obviously. Grand beer and pubs in t’ Yorkshire.”
It didn’t take long before his loyal fanbase flooded to the comments to share their excitement online. One user penned: “Anything Jame May is in on the TV is worth watching.”
Another agreed: “Not seen this… sounds like the best program ever!!! [heart emoji]” as a third echoed: “Two great, INTERESTING, media personalities!” A fourth chimed in with: “I realise at this point that I will pretty much watch or listen to anything with James May in it [cry-laughing emoji].”
May famously owns The Royal Oak public house in the heart of Wiltshire, which he became the co-owner of in 2020. But he’s not the only Top Gear star to own a pub. His co-star Jeremy Clarkson also owns a pub, which he quaintly calls The Farmer’s Dog. He opened the doors to the Oxfordshire pub in 2024 and has since sparked some rivalry between the two pub owners.
During a recent appearance on Lorraine, he opened up about his rivalry to guest host Christine Lampard. She asked: “Is it true you’ve been banned from Jeremy Clarkson’s pub?” to which May replied: “Well, apparently. But I have said before that’s a bit like being banned from the golf club because I wasn’t going to go anyway.”
The Grand Tour star said there was no need to visit Clarkson’s famous pub, as he had a “better” one he could go to. May continued: “I’ve got my own pub, which is just around the corner. I’m not going to go 75 miles to his. Especially as mine’s better.”
It comes after the broadcaster admitted he is currently experiencing one of the busiest years of his life, less than 12 months after his partnership with Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond ended.
In a new interview, May reflected on his attempts to retire, admitting that he has so far failed due to a series of work commitments that have kept him busy.
He told the i Paper: “I’ve been thinking about my retirement since I was a teenager – 2025 was going to be my trial retirement year, but I’ve been accepted to speak at a couple of history festivals and charity events, I’ve got two TV series, and then I’m doing a live show in Australia, New Zealand and around the UK.
“This is the busiest year I’ve had for about a decade. I haven’t had a day off in months.” Perfect Pub Walks with Alexander Armstrong airs on Wednesdays from 9pm on More4 or catch up on Channel 4.com
