Richard Hammond Biography

Fast Facts

• He was voted Best Hair on TV in a December 2007 poll administered by Brylcreem
• Received the 2007 TV Personality of the Year Award at the 10th annual GQ Men of the Year Awards
• He attended Harrogate College of Art and Technology from 1987 to 1989 and has a degree in Photography and Television Production
• Quote: "I'm aware that I'm a very, very lucky boy in lots of ways․ I try to do my bit to raise awareness about brain injury and how it affects people physically, mentally and socially․"
• After finishing Art College, he began working in 1989 as a program assistant on the mid-morning show at BBC Radio York
• After several stints in the radio business, he landed a TV role at Granada Men in 1996 that let him talk about and drive around new cars
• After moving into a house in 2002, he auditioned for a new series of "Top Gear," but was told by his agent he wouldn't land the job
• Paid £2 million in August 2008 for an 18th Century castle in Herefordshire that is reportedly haunted
• While filming an episode of "Top Gear" at the former RAF Elvington airbase, he piloted a dragster called Vampire, but the jet-powered car crashed when the front-right tire failed while he was traveling at 288 mph