James May, the former Top Gear presenter, failed a driving test 46 years after he first obtained his licence. A video posted to his YouTube channel, James May's Planet Gin, captured the television personality driving around Salisbury and Wilton as he attempted the modern examination.
The test was conducted at Salisbury Driving Test Centre, with May following official routes in a dual-control vehicle alongside an instructor. Despite already holding a valid licence, May revealed he was keen to discover how today's test differs from the one he sat in 1980.
The former Grand Tour presenter explained: "Now, I do of course already have a licence. It was 1980 when I last took a test, and things have moved on a lot since then; the test is apparently very different."
He added: "I haven't revised for it. I haven't learned anything about it. I'm just going to do it and see if I can pass."
Despite his wealth of experience and self-assurance behind the wheel, May failed the contemporary driving test. He was recorded travelling at 46mph in a 40mph zone and 33mph in a 30mph zone, resulting in an automatic fail for speeding.
May swiftly acknowledged the error, saying: "I did 42 then. Sorry, but that was my eagerness to join the flow of traffic and not be a hazard. Just as a radio would, or as many people get distracted by friends or mobile phones, distractions are part and parcel of modern driving."
Fans were swift to highlight the irony that the affectionately nicknamed 'Captain Slow', for his leisurely driving compared to former co-stars Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond, was caught out for speeding.
During the drive, May participated in light-hearted conversation with the instructor, including discussions about his time on Top Gear, his distaste for vocal sat nav instructions, and the spotting game he and 'The Stig', Ben Collins, used to play during filming. He quipped that following the test, he would "turn into an ASBO" once the instructor had left the car.
The examiner said: "I'd love to say well done, but you did have a couple of driving faults, but serious faults. That is a fail astonishingly."
Despite the disappointing outcome, May accepted the result in good spirits and thanked viewers for watching. He concluded the video with the words: "Do as I say, not as I do."
