TV presenter James May talks to DNA about his experience filming Amazon Prime Video show Our Man in India.
British TV presenter and journalist James May has quite a popularity in India. Over two decades, as a co-presenter on Top Gear and The Grand Tour, he has cultivated a sizable fan base in the country. So it was natural that when he embarked on his own show – a travel show at that – a season set in India would be on the cards. Our Man in India premiered on Amazon Prime Video earlier this month and the presenter spoke to DNA exclusively about his journey and what he saw across his travels in India.
This is the third season of Our Man in... with the previous two seeing May travel across Japan (2022) and Italy (2022). Talking about the choice of India for the third edition, May says, “India was always on the cards, right from the very beginning when we started doing Our Man In. To be honest, everybody in Britain wants to see it. We are sort of slightly obsessed with it and neve get bored of it. I knew it’d be exciting because I have been here before. We wanted to make a piece of entertaining TV and I knew we’d get that. And also we sen to be quite popular there.”
James May: Our Man in India saw the presenter travel from Kolkata across the breadth of the country to Rajasthan and Varanasi among other places. Talking about what surprised him the most during his journey, he says, “The busiest place we went to was probably Kolkata. I’m not sure if I have ever been somewhere as busy as this, certainly nowhere at home. So, I am still always amazed at how busy India can be and also how intensely colourful Indian clothing can be. Even though I see a lot of it, it still comes as a bit of a surprise.”
Courtesy his experience on Top Gear and The Grand Tour, May is somewhat of an expert on driving. And this is a subject that involves a lot of chaos on Indian roads. Remarking on the driving in India, James May says, “I have always maintained that the system of driving in India works very well. It doesn’t move very quickly but it does. There is a sort of system of no system in India where you just let it flow. And I think it works as long as you submit to it. I have driven in India and here, if you try and drive like a European, you won’t get anywhere because people will think you’re an idiot.”
His trip across India in 2023 saw him celebrate Holi in the country. Calling the experience ‘slightly mad’ but fun, May says he was surprised by the shee scale of the festival. And puzzled too. He elaborates, “It’s all great fun but the two things that I find surprising is a, you don’t set your towns on fire because those bonfires are pretty intense and very close to buildings. I keep thinking any minute this whole place will be torched but it isn’t. And the other thing is how do you clean it up. The whole place is covered in paint and the remains of balloons and then a few days later, it’s all gone. How do you do that?”
May says that he still does not have a favourite part or region of India but does share his most special experience from this trip, while filming Our Man in India. “The most magical bit was probably Varanasi where I’d never been before,” says the presenter, adding, “I know what it’s about and I have read up on it but it felt very different from what I expected. I had expected it to appear quite sombre but it’s extremely joyous and spectacular in the evening once the ceremony (Ganga aarti) starts. It’s a proper magical scape. Everybody should go down that river once in the evening and look at the place starting to light up. It’s almost a life-changing experience.”
All three episodes of Our Man in India, chronicling May’s journey across India, are streaming on Prime Video.
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