Hamster: The Story of Richard Hammond

Рет қаралды 83,169

Күн бұрын

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Twitter: @GearknobAlex
The story of Top Gear's beloved Hamster.
So many rewrites, as I just wasn't happy with this video for a long time. Again, my profoundest apologies.
I really thought I'd ironed all the kinks by March at the latest, and had just committed to my final render. Hours, possibly even just minutes in, there was a disconcerting click, some crunching, and everything going black.
The video had killed my motherboard. Further deconstruction revealed all four of the flimsy plastic bolts holding the CPU fan in place had suffered heat-related fatigue and finally failed. How I didn't lose everything at that moment honestly confounds me.
By the time I looked at it again a couple weeks later with the new parts having arrived and been fitted, I realised it was mediocre. Not terrible, but not as good as it could have been. I rushed through large chunks of time, glossing over a lot of key things, and it notably under-ran to just 90 minutes instead of the 2 hours I was aiming for.
So throughout March and into April, I scripted, recorded, and inserted new dialogue. Yet even after all my additions, the video still only ran up to a total of about 107 minutes.
Finally, come late April, I had the script I was looking for. By now the video was over 140 minutes long and needed a fair bit of cutting.
Sadly, right at the end, I lost two renders thanks to the stupid way in which Vegas works.
Among many flaws that have been left unpatched since the Sony days, a video file requires way more than what it says it needs. It basically requires twice the space, because if I'm correct, the way Vegas renders video is it slowly renders a hidden copy, then outputs the finished file. Because I only had 31 GB for an 18 GB video, I lost the final 40 minutes as Vegas ran out of bytes to write to. So I had to start all over again after clearing up as much space as I possibly could.
Anyway, about the video itself.
This documentary chronicles the history of Top Gear's short bloke in an audiovisual manner for what I believe to be the very first time. I thoroughly cover Richard Hammond's early years as a mere boy growing up in the heart of Britain's troubled automotive history, his first forays into media production, promotion to TV and landing his dream job on Top Gear, only for things to go rather pear-shaped just 4 years in. But through sheer determination and an unkillable passion for the automobile, Hammond bounced back and established himself as the necessary contrast between the larger, blokier Clarkson and May, triumphantly rounding off Top Gear's Holy Trinity.
Chapters:
00:00 - Intro
03:08 - Chapter 1: The Pup
12:35 - Chapter 2: Men, Motors & Multimedia
24:44 - Chapter 3: Getting Into (Top) Gear
30:33 - Chapter 4: Dawn of The Driving God
45:22 - Chapter 5: For Want of a Dodge...
59:53 - Chapter 6: A Dare Too Far...
1:16:57 - Chapter 7: Hammond's Lost Year, A Win For Top Gear?
1:34:07 - Chapter 8: Outside The Hamster's Cage
1:46:32 - Chapter 9: Hopping The Pond, Growing The Beard
2:02:18 - Chapter 10: Epilogue and Closing Statements

Пікірлер: 302

@DeadlyLazer 2 ай бұрын

Finally. The untold story of Richard J. Cheeseburger Hammond III

@NoPeacekeeper2008 2 ай бұрын

*McCheesburger

@DRIFT_CORE Ай бұрын

I never knew his middle name was cheeseburger I will remember this for a pub quiz

@bradyelich2745 Ай бұрын

@@DRIFT_CORE You did not pay attention. To the gallows with you.

@seedubhuntx 2 ай бұрын

-paints general lee esque car -father sells propane hammond is texan confirmed

@renz1013 2 ай бұрын

Lmao

@SirBoberus 2 ай бұрын

This had better be a part of a series…. I need a James May video this long

@fish_bacon 2 ай бұрын

amen brother

@MoritzBertram 2 ай бұрын

If James May would write the Script himself the Video would be at least 40 hours Long wich I would binge in one sitting

@yeshwantdasari2075 2 ай бұрын

It's definitely gonna go 3. Hammond 2. May 1. Clarkson Naturally Clarkson has the most to talk about so best to keep that as a finale Bonus: a full breakdown on Stig Lore

@Valigarmanda 2 ай бұрын

@@yeshwantdasari2075Technically "The Story of Top Gear" could almost work as a Story of Clarkson.

@C.Fecteau-AU-MJ13 2 ай бұрын

@@Valigarmandathere's so much more to the Clarkson saga than just the TG part though

@larryfoulke-pixy 2 ай бұрын

"Hammond you sodding tic tac that was my Lamborghini Aventador"

@caledonianrailway1233 2 ай бұрын

“HAMMOND”-Jeremy

@zerovalon6243 2 ай бұрын

Jeremy! What are you doing mate!? Hammond

@monkofdarktimes 2 ай бұрын

CLARKSON - Hammond

@mog7501 2 ай бұрын

"hammannn (softly)" - Ugandan man next to Clarkson

@marsdenk.6162 Ай бұрын

😅😅@@mog7501

@Sauci55on Ай бұрын

Hamond you sodding tic tac this was my laborghini

@s1dz1n 2 ай бұрын

"Hammond you idiot!" That line never gets old.

@jhamartbrown Ай бұрын

"YOU REVERSED INTO THE SPORTS LORRY" 😂😂

@Randgalf Ай бұрын

The only reason Hammond isn't my favourite is because none of them are, as all of them are. It's an unbreakable trinity.

@John_Conner_ 25 күн бұрын

On thier own they are rather entertaining but when the 3 of them got together it was really magic

@Oderus-Urungi 2 ай бұрын

Him walking circles around "Oliver", while Clarkson an May are tearing parts away to shed weight, then the realization that he needed not remove an thing from Dear lil' Olliiievah

@jus__gra 2 ай бұрын

“Braniac science abuse was a tv show set on making science interesting….. aswell as appealing to a generally dumber audience overall” I loved that show as a kid, I will not accept such slander.

@tigershark2328 Ай бұрын

aren't kids... a generally dumber audience?

@millennialchicken 2 ай бұрын

Hammond is a real trooper for just doing everything he's done. The radio work, his early TV years, his Top Gear zenith and his oncoming twilight of The Grand Tour and The Smallest Cog, he has undoubtedly earned his legend status

@ENKTDeeColon_and_randomnumbers 2 ай бұрын

Not only was your work on this video great, but I can't help but respect your efforts in preserving all this history as much as possible

@carlbirtles4518 2 ай бұрын

Richard bought a 1952 Lanchester Fourteen for Top Gear’s Classic Car Rally Challenge and had assumed it was built by his maternal grandfather. After the challenge, Jeremy told him the Lanchester was actually built in a different factory. So Richard blew thousands of pounds on a car that wasn’t linked to his family.

@C.Fecteau-AU-MJ13 2 ай бұрын

Oh no Richard Hammond's up... Where can we land the medivac helicopter?

@betara_indera_gunung_timur 2 ай бұрын

seeing the thumbnail with red 'live' mark pops up in my feed reminds me of that feeling of having missed the starting of a live programme right when you turned on the TV, when the re-air is hours, if not days away.

@wyxir4191 2 ай бұрын

Hamster: a man who has his teeth whitened

@Spheredalai 2 ай бұрын

Richard Hammond is the only guy i know who look cool and on point on both non car related daytime shows as well as well as top gear

@guestc142 2 ай бұрын

I swear I saw a comment from you sometime ago. It was about racism lmao

@S0M3GUY778 2 ай бұрын

We all meme on Hammond and so do Clarkson and May, but I think my favourite piece of Hammond media was the video of him recounting his dream whilst in a coma. It shows a sensitive and deeply introspective side of Hammond we don't see often. I only hope that i'll find a place i am so deeply connected to on an emotional level that it shows up in my deepest darkest dreams like he was to the lake district. What a legend.

@StickmanLLC1 2 ай бұрын

Next episode... Orangutan: The Jeremy Clarkson Story... and next next episode... Captain Slow: The James May Story... edited to more accurate titles

@MrManfhis 2 ай бұрын

Snail*

@StickmanLLC1 2 ай бұрын

Oh That's actually much better @@MrManfhis

@danieluchwal3515 2 ай бұрын

Shouldn't it be Cpt Slow?

@mg1721 2 ай бұрын

*Orangutan

@Valigarmanda 2 ай бұрын

Shouldn't it be Orangutan?

@dylanfrazer4429 2 ай бұрын

"Hammond, you blithering idiot!"

@kpgames7288 2 ай бұрын

Richard Hammond in his Mini in the India special is probably some of the best scenes with him in 😂

@katashworth41 2 ай бұрын

I can’t go back to it, not for the ‘it’s the worst special’ reasons, but that was the day my dad died.

@beansontoes 2 ай бұрын

@@katashworth41I'm sorry for your loss ❤️

@Bahraini_Carguy 2 ай бұрын

On a completely unrelated note, your choice of background soundtrack is quite a stellar i may add.

@ThePhilosopher01 2 ай бұрын

Lets just hope Hammond isn't still in coma and all of us are just part of his dream.

@Kugel-- 2 ай бұрын

I didn't know anything about his charity work or his altruistic adventures. Truly is the sign of a good man when he does all that without seeking any praise

@rufctr3 2 ай бұрын

I really do hope the man sees this marvelous documentary of himself.

@viewofascene 2 ай бұрын

hammock you sodding tic tac

@lolza-qh2xw 2 ай бұрын

I deeply enjoyed this whole video, but it is understated how much each of the presenters of Top Gear came into their own because they met the others is. Before Top Gear as most of us would consider it, I used to watch men and motors and most of the car shows they had but none came close to the chemistry of the Top Gear three, a HUGE amount of the appeal of Top Gear and by extension each of the presenter's careers were people wanting to watch three friends talking, reviewing, bantering about and enjoying cars which prior to them had essentially not been a thing on TV - it's something most people into cars had with their friends, because all of us would do the same in our friend groups at the pub or chatting in our driveways about a "good little project" we've seen for sale - they were the TV embodiment of any car-head was back then, young or old. Each of the Top Gear presenters are hugely talented, intelligent and charismatic in their own right, but only when playing off eachother they became stars.

@slideways8022 2 ай бұрын

“The little hamster that could”

@JONNYTUBSTER 2 ай бұрын

Gearknob, you never disappoint!!! The comprehensive research, the warp records and other mighty electronic choons in the back, the smooth editing…. Absolutely INCREDIBLE!!

@Jo3man96 2 ай бұрын

I was 10 when the Vampire crash happened, was probably the first time I really thought about death. That’s how much it affected me at the time. I always liked Hammond, but that crash gave me so much respect for him.

@richardwathen7627 Ай бұрын

I met them all at Dunsfold. We were doing a balloon trip over Surrey but due to a sudden change in weather we had to land at Dunsfold stopping Top Gear filming. Great guys.

@DystopianOverture Ай бұрын

I was one of those teenage girls who fancied the crap out of him in the 2000s. 12 year old me cried the day he had the dragster accident, and went into a depressive state at the end of 2006, ended up being hospitalised for unrelated illness November that year as well. The day he returned on TV for TG my depressive episode left. It did later return bc bullied and abused Autistic kid in school being mocked for being in love with Hammo. I still would do him mind you 😅 I grew past the hormonal lust and loved the person he is more than his boyish charms. I have massive respect for him. Whenever I faced troubling times I always tried to be brave like him. Simply amazing documentary man! You went all out

@joshslater2426 2 ай бұрын

I sometimes wonder if Hammond is the least popular of the trio, or at least the one people don’t remember as much. Clarkson is the outspoken, and May is the ‘boring’ one who drops the final bombshell of a punchline, and Hammond is just ‘the small one’. I think Hammond is cool: he’s survived a lot of deadly accidents, he loves his cars (especially Oliver), and during Top Gear he said many of the best lines and made many hilarious jokes.

@BlueShift2000 2 ай бұрын

2 hours of non stop blessing. Love the blokes. TG S6-22 and TGT S1-4 is constantly rewatched atleast once a year

@IJNAoba9-25-26 17 күн бұрын

Couldnt have summarised the Hamster's Role in the Holy Trinity better than "The old son that stopped the 2 old couple from nonsensically arguing"

@wasdishowiplay 2 ай бұрын

I know these videos are a labor of love and time consuming but I love them.

@Mirimius 2 ай бұрын

Looking forward to this!

@philjohnston9889 2 ай бұрын

I really really hope we get videos like this on Clarkson and May! I love these long ass video essays and having one on each of the trio would be gold 😁

@EazLP 2 ай бұрын

Thank you for producing this documentary. When watching, you genuinely can feel the amount of heart and effort that went into it. Really looking forward for what's to come in the future from you.

@tailssonicteam1604 Ай бұрын

This is amazing. I'd love to see you do this type of video but for Jezza and Captain Slow. Although this long a video with how detailed it is most likely took months to do but I'd gladly wait

@didgereemedia194 Ай бұрын

37:12 the MythBusters also tackled this fable, and made the same realisation. Top job to Richard Hammond and Adam Savage for risking their lives for science

@mattshellback9258 2 ай бұрын

Richard, you enriched our lives and gave us so much to look forward to. Thank you.

@patrickhemsley8631 Ай бұрын

I never quite understood why Hammond was so apologetic when crashing the car in the 24 race, but that guilt for perhaps feeling like he had put the show in jeopardy when crashing the Vampire was probably still fresh in his mind.

@JJJackson777 Ай бұрын

1:26:24 my man knows not to walk through Orchard park after 10pm

@weapon131 2 ай бұрын

Your narration's more descriptive of a morning in England, than the review segments of new TG are with cars ngl

@clarksters88 2 ай бұрын

i’m a simple man. i see a thumbnail with the hamster and oliver, i click.

@CrunchyMotorsport 2 ай бұрын

I have read Hammonds book, and it is really great how the scene of no time is described, I think it describes the situation at hand. On top of this, i have a book by Phillipa Sage about Top Gear Live, and it shows the show really well.

@nicholasprice6672 2 ай бұрын

Thanks for putting in the work for these videos, always top notch. Cheers from Canada.

@ThreeIrishMen 2 ай бұрын

was literally watching another of your videos when this was premiered i was so shocked

@Fuuntag Ай бұрын

1:56 a clear sign how much you care using this clip for a throw away line. ❤

@LegendaryTaco900 2 ай бұрын

I've finally gotten around to watching the show, and honestly, Hammond may be my favorite member. While the bicking between May and Clarkson is hilarious, Hammond's enthusiasm and charisma make him so much fun to watch in whatever he's doing.

@Jude74 Ай бұрын

All three of them are now 20 years past what we remember them as. The only one who even kinda looks young is Hammond. He’s doing some fun stuff with enthusiastic KZfaqrs and I think it’s for the best. May got his liquor business and Jeremy’s farming. They all found their niche.

@someindianguy_99 20 күн бұрын

Beautifully made documentary. Eagerly waiting for the next two on Clarkson and May.

@WoodsPrecisionArms 2 ай бұрын

Richard is overwhelming but the last two Grand Tour specials there has been a much different Richard Hammond, a way more relaxed and insanely hilarious person. I was laughing so hard during Eurocrash from the stuff he was doing

@CJC_RW Ай бұрын

These videos are really fucking good man. I love that perspective of someone who's been in the forums and been such a hardcore fan for such a long time telling the story of someone so important and integral to Top Gear. I'm currently working on a Robot Wars retrospective so I appreciate it the robot wars mention too hahahaha! These videos are extremely important and your POV within the fandom is probably the best place to be telling such a story. Can't wait to see more dude.

@katashworth41 2 ай бұрын

As an AFAB person born in the late 80s I can confirm that he was one of the reasons I watched the show (the cars were the main draw). I do also always forget he shared his birthday with my dad.

@burno55_ Ай бұрын

AFAB?

@katashworth41 Ай бұрын

@@burno55_ Assigned female at birth, I’m non binary.

@vulpes7079 Ай бұрын

Does he look nearly as good today in your opinion?

@nathankosanke2093 2 ай бұрын

This is amazing! The amount of research you put into this is worth all the praise!

@eazibreezilemonpeezi 2 ай бұрын

This is fantastic. As someone who has watched Top Gear countless amount of times, I learned so much about our dear presenter Hammond. The amount of details and information given is very impressive. You had me hooked for the entire time. I hope to see more videos like this from you. Great job!

@WoodsPrecisionArms 2 ай бұрын

Hell yeah been waiting for some new content! You do an outstanding job with the research

@guyincognito8019 2 ай бұрын

Brilliant. This must've taken ages to put together. Well done

@ivaniii9707 2 ай бұрын

Very nice documentary about my favourite TV show

@MadChilliTrainspotting Ай бұрын

Great video, thanks for taking the time to put together all of this information for others to learn about! Looking forward to future ones.

@florianwagner7279 2 ай бұрын

Well done, thank you for this nice portrait of Richard Hammond, not only in Top Gear but as well out of the hamster cage👍

@22OLI22 2 ай бұрын

Thankyou so much for all the content you provide!

@allydoodah 2 ай бұрын

Great content GK, keep it up!!

@Denes2005 2 ай бұрын

Great video, only notice i had is that i was saying “yes the dragster crash” for about 5 minutes it felt like

@CrunchyMotorsport 2 ай бұрын

Been years in the making, holy this is gonna be good

@ThePixelMicros 2 ай бұрын

these videos are great fun, keep up the good work

@dman8951 Ай бұрын

This is a wonderful video! Thanks for making this. It was a delight to get to know Hammond better.

@davidmulligan42 Ай бұрын

Great documentary! FinalGear was a lifesaver back in the days when you either couldn't watch Top Gear on US TV, or they were broadcasting an edited version with ads, which I refused to watch.

@TheActualChosenOne 2 ай бұрын

Ayo, 2 hour Gearknob video, lesgo

@nikiplay8775 2 ай бұрын

Regarding the vampire episode. Top gear is still being broadcast on German station DMAX and I am almost certain that the vampire crash is still being broadcast on there even now as I remember seeing it in 2013

@PersonManManManMan Ай бұрын

Man, what an awesome load of work done here, brilliant episode on capturing Hammond's epic tale of being a host of one of most beloved shows on Earth: Top Gear. Great documentary, well done.

@yuukikazuki4289 Ай бұрын

My first introduction to Hammond was through Total Wipeout and then Engineering Connections then stumbled upon him on Top Gear which was being watched by my older brother and me asking him "oh isn't he that wipeout guy?" which started a whole chain reaction resulted in me starting to watching Top Gear along with my brother and my brother teaching me how to drive In his Evo which he never let anyone drive and me developing interest on cars, I have got lot of memories with my older sibling which I would never have got due to our age gap and since I was more closer to my older sister, I have genuinely gained a lot due to the strange coincidence's.

@henrykmur 2 ай бұрын

Thank you so much for this! I really hope you'll make one about James one day.

@ImInterestedInApathy808 2 ай бұрын

well done, serious passion and interest on display as well as effort.

@DenDiskPro Ай бұрын

I really enjoyed this, thanks for making it!

@nobel11 2 ай бұрын

Excellent video, very well presented. And fantastic soundtrack, too.

@wesstarmedia Ай бұрын

He's originally from my home town (Shirley, Solihull) but left the area when I was a kid. He returned to the area to shoot an episode of top gear because I noticed the petrol station he was filming at.

@jordy2059 4 күн бұрын

Great job on this piece, absolutely loved it!

@thesovereign6906 2 ай бұрын

Awesome video! I absolutely love the Hamster, Slow, and the Arangatan best show ever. Also appreciated the Strokes song All The Time in the video one of my absolute favorites. Old Top Gear and GT are my favorite shows of all time just an amazing run everything they did was gold. I'm sad that their time together is coming to an end and I hope they'll be back together in one form or another after GT ends. If not their legacy will forever remain close to my heart and I will always be rewatching old Top Gear and GT episodes

@BilalTQ990 2 ай бұрын

I started watching Top Gear after series 9 premiered. I was familiar with the show on BBC world, but knew nothing about the individual personalities. Friends told me about hammond’s crash, and I wanted to check it out. I never would’ve thought Hammond’s crash was such an inflection point in the show’s history. Great video- love the deep dives!

@cookiebot 2 ай бұрын

Fantastic work, to think you did this for us to watch for free. Thanks

@alsomika Ай бұрын

I watched a little over 4 hours of top gear retrospectives since waking up today, this show will not loosen its grip on me

@kroper4469 2 ай бұрын

This is so good oh my god I forgot this was a 2-hour-video

@daytonmax2230 2 ай бұрын

Great video! Thanks for making this kind of video!

@Number69 2 ай бұрын

Really good video, well researched

@superkaboose1066 Ай бұрын

Very well done, you obviously put in the proper effort into this.

@richardgadberry8398 17 күн бұрын

"CLARKSOOOOOOON!!! WHERE'S MY ROOF?!"

@Piddel 2 ай бұрын

absolutely great video mate!

@Mr_Motors Ай бұрын

On tonight’s documentary Hammond crashes a drag car Hammond leaves the BBC for Clarkson And Hammond crashes an electric supercar

@rturner4205 Ай бұрын

"Hammond, you Idiot! You've proven you can't handle a car around corners, and now you've proven you can't go around straights either"

@darwaz9071 2 ай бұрын

Quality work

@bencheevers6693 2 ай бұрын

I'm not crying, you're crying!

@Popster.f1 6 күн бұрын

I always loved Hammond. As a very small child one of my first memories is watching the episode he crashes the vampire jet car and the episode he returns on iplayer with my dad and being utterly distraughtand scared for him. I remember the reason I liked him was because of his bravery after going through that and rhe way he continued afterwards. My reasons over the years for liking hammond have changed but I've never stopped liking him. Great doc 👌

@bnw5435 Ай бұрын

I would LOVE to see a video like this, but for James May. Reallllly well made, you did a great job :)

@RuailleB Ай бұрын

why aren’t more people viewing this, top class

@JJPelszynski Ай бұрын

This should be Required viewing for anyone with even the slightest interest in Top Gear.

@cameronmcpherson6364 Ай бұрын

I was just about to comment about how I love the Jungle Drum & Bass - then DJ Shadow comes on. Great music choice on this video and all of your work.

@nonAehT 2 ай бұрын

that last epilogue part is real oldfriend flexing. More of these Online communities need the OGs to actually document their stuff in documentaries like theese.

@pendragon6207 Ай бұрын

That was a great watch! Cheers!

@Sola174 2 ай бұрын

Great stuff once again, Gearknob. Hammond was the reason this 15-year-old girl in 2004 started watching Top Gear! I'm hoping you'll do a feature on James!