Portrait of James May

Birthday profile

James May

English television presenter and journalist

Born
January 16, 1963
Age in 2026
63
Zodiac sign
Capricorn
Birth year
1963

About James May

James Daniel May (born 16 January 1963) is an English television presenter, author and journalist. He is best known as a co-presenter, alongside Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond, of the motoring programme Top Gear from 2003 until 2015 and the television series The Grand Tour for Amazon Prime Video from 2016 to 2024. He also served as a director of the production company W. Chump & Sons. May has presented other programmes on themes including travel, science and technology, toys, wine culture, and the plight of manliness in modern times. He wrote a weekly column for The Daily Telegraph's motoring section from 2003 to 2011. May first co-presented the revived series of Top Gear in its second series in 2003, where he earned the nickname "Captain Slow" owing to his careful driving style, and his OCD-like obsessions with order.

Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.

The world when James May was born

James May was born in 1963. The year snapshot below places that birthday in its cultural and historical setting: the music and films people were following, the headlines shaping public life, and the everyday prices families encountered.

Culture in 1963

  • #1 song"Sugar Shack" – Jimmy Gilmer
  • Top movieTom Jones
  • Top TV showThe Beverly Hillbillies
  • Best-selling bookThe Bell Jar – Sylvia Plath

Headlines and milestones

  • Major sports momentJim Clark wins his first Formula One World Championship
  • Top headlinePresident Kennedy assassinated in Dallas on November 22
  • Technology milestoneTouch-tone telephone introduced
  • Defining fadBeatlemania begins
  • Notable inventionLava lamp
  • World population3.20 billion

United States snapshot

  • U.S. leaderJohn F. Kennedy / Lyndon B. Johnson
  • Sports championLos Angeles Dodgers (World Series)
  • Also wonBoston Celtics (NBA)
  • U.S. population189.2M

1963 versus 2026

These figures put everyday life in James May's birth year beside the site's latest United States snapshot.

Measure19632026
Gas$0.31$3.45/gal
Average home$13,100$435,000
Average income$8,200$67,500
Minimum wage$1.25$7.25/hr (federal)
Movie ticket$0.85$11.95
Postage stamp$0.05$0.73
Population189.2M341 million

Sources and editorial standards

This profile combines a biographical source with structured birthday and historical context. Sources recorded for this profile: Wikipedia, MusicBrainz. See our editorial policy for sourcing, corrections, and review standards.

Read the source biography on Wikipedia. Wikipedia text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.