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Feb 18, 2021 · As soon as Series 2 dropped, so did his employment on Top Gear and instead, James May was brought in. But where is he now? What is he doing? Well to answer that I must first explain to you what he brought to the show in the first place. His specialities revolved around the used car market.
- Overview
- Production
- Reception
The second series of the BBC motoring show Top Gear, starring presenters Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and new presenter James May, replacing Jason Dawe from the first series, premiered on the 11th of May, 2003 and concluded on the 20th of July, 2003.
As the rebooted show proved its worth, James May decided to return to the show, making his first appearance since Series 41 of Original format Top Gear back in 1999, though this necessitated the departure of at least one host. Despite Jason Dawe's role being axed, Richard Hammond's was almost in a similar level of jeopardy due to what was informally referred to as the 'Meddling Department' within the BBC. Eventually, the trio of Clarkson, Hammond and May was settled on and production of the second series could commence.
Viewing figures were slightly down over Series 1, attracting just 3.16 million viewers per episode on average, but the show continued regardless, and Series 3 began airing in October 2003.
A Best Of DVD was Released For Series 1 and 2 - Top Gear: Back in the Fast Lane
After the minor success the first series of post-relaunch Top Gear had had on the British populace, various changes were made over the Christmas period, the most obvious of which being the removal of Jason Dawe from the show in favour of James May. The studio design was finalised, with various set pieces such as the Cool Wall receiving an upgrade.
Production of Series 2 commenced after the Christmas period, and filming began in early 2003, as a magazine read by a woman used for the Smart Roadster segment in the first episode is Marie Claire issue #177, featuring Justin Timberlake on the cover, and was released on the 5th of January that year. Similarly, in James May's first segment for that same episode, he is reading the May 2003 issue of Classic Cars, which would have been released in April that year.
The show's IMDb page rated this series at an average score of 7.1/10, indicating a positive reception overall.
Aug 21, 2018 · James May took his place from Series 2 onwards. Dawe instead headed to ITV4 where he started a program called ‘Used Car Roadshow’ alongside Penny Mallory where they tried to find the best...
- Drivetribe
Feb 7, 2024 · Dawe was replaced by James May, who would go on to present Top Gear with Hammond and Clarkson until 2015.
- Laura Donaldson
- 1 min
It was just odd finding out James May wasn't on Series 1. I guess I wondered if Dawe was let go, wanted to leave, or something else. I've only watched the first two episodes of Series 1 and based on what I know about the old format Series 1 seems like a natural bridge between the two formats.
Nov 21, 2023 · (Jason Dawe featured in the first series but was replaced by May from the second.) Clarkson was and still is a divisive figure - but he had a certain magic on screen that even his critics...
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After the first series, Dawe was replaced by James May. Having previously been a presenter on Channel 4's motoring programme Driven and the 1999 series of Top Gear, May initially declined to be a part of the new format, until its growing popularity later changed his mind.
