BBC Canada is a little behind BBC UK so last night we got to see the return of Richard Hammond on Top Gear after his very scary accident. Despite suffering brain damage, the Hamster seems to be just like his old self. The team weren’t pulling any punches with their gags, including referring to Hammond as Princess Diana, offering him tissues in case he started drooling and asking him if he’s “a mental”. I’m sure the BBC got some complaints about that but hey, when has Top Gear ever been politically correct? I applaud the BBC for letting the show continue unmodified and letting the team continue being bad boys.
As for the accident itself, it was caused by a tyre blowout at close to 300mph. The car flipped and continued upside down at around 250mph, digging the roll bar into the earth beside the runway along with Hammond’s head. He’s a very lucky guy.
Richard asked that the accident never be mentioned on the show again, and James and Jeremy promised that it never would. Time will tell if they keep that promise.