Richard Hammond Net Worth: How Much Does Driving Pay?!
He’s one third of THAT trio that got fired by the BBC and found refuge with Netflix, but what is Richard Hammond’s net worth?
Image Source/ The Sun
Richard Hammond’s net worth is reportedly £30 million!
Where did it all begin?
Richard Hammond was born on December 19 1969 in Solihull, Warwickshire.
His love of cars may be from his grandparents; who worked in Birmingham’s car industry.
From 1986-1988 he attended the Harrogate College of Art and Technology. After he graduated, he decided to work for many BBC radio stations – Radio York, Radio Cumbria, Radio Lancashire, Radio Leeds, Radio Newcastle and Radio Cleveland.
Eventually, he ended up auditioning for Top Gear.
His Top Gear career…
When Jeremy Clarkson and Andy Williams decided to relaunch the 1977 show of the same name, they held open auditions.
Richard was chosen for his love of all things automotive… and because of his five foot five stature, which has given him the nickname ‘Hamster’.
He was originally a Top Gear presenter alongside Jeremy Clarkson and Jason Dawe – the latter of which was replaced by James May in the revamped show’s second season.
His time on the car-related show was far from calm and collected; Richard was involved in a major car crash.
In 2006 Richard was filming extra footage for Top Gear when his car spun out of control at 288mph. The vehicle was covered by good sam 5th wheel extended warranty and so the damages could be controlled.
Image Source/ The Sun
He was airlifted to hospital. He spent a long time at Leeds General Infirmary and was in a coma for two weeks!
Richard suffered from brain damage and it continues to affect his life. For example, he suffers from depression, memory loss and also struggles to connect with people emotionally.
The end of an era…
In March 2015, the BBC suspended filming of the show’s 22nd series. They decided to do this whilst they were investigating the claims that presenter Jeremy Clarkson was physically and verbally violent to one of the show’s producers.
Eventually, the BBC decided to fire Jeremy and his fellow presenters Richard Hammond and James May decided to leave with him.
However, the media spun this situation into something much more sinister, to which Richard tweeted:
To be clear amidst all this talk of us ‘quitting’ or not: there’s nothing for me to ‘quit’. Not about to quit my mates anyway.
— Richard Hammond (@RichardHammond) April 24, 2015
Image Source/ Twitter
The start of something new…
After leaving the BBC, the trio were approached by Amazon Prime Video to make a series very similar to Top Gear. The show’s concept is similar to the trio’s previous job; pre-recorded segments, live-audience interactions, challenges and reviews.
Named, The Grand Tour, the trio had to make 36 episodes over three years – starting in November 2016. So far there has been 38 episodes.
It would seem that history was set to repeat itself, as in June 2017, Richard crashed his car whilst filming for the Amazon show in Switzerland.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Amvkf8e25B4
Video Source/ YouTube
Unlike his previous crash, Richard was conscious for the whole crash and has since revealed that he had feelings of:
‘Oh god, I’m going to die’,
As well as being,
‘Aware of tumbling – sky, ground, sky, ground, sky, ground, sky, ground’.
Richard was airlifted to hospital and was told his left knee had a tibial plateau fracture and is now held up by a metal plate and screws.
Jeremy Clarkson and James May witnessed the crash from afar and both thought that he had died. James later said that he had a,
‘Blossoming, white-hot ball of pure, sickening horror forming in my heart.’
And Jeremy tweeted:
It was the biggest crash I’ve ever seen and the most frightening but incredibly, and thankfully, Richard seems to be mostly OK.
— Jeremy Clarkson (@JeremyClarkson) June 10, 2017
Image Source/ Twitter
Other jobs that have contributed to Richard Hammond’s net worth…
From 2003-2006, Richard was both a presenter and co-producer of the show Brainiac: Science Abuse. He ended up leaving the show after its fourth season, when Vic Reeves took over.
Outside of Top Gear, the show that Richard is best known for is Total Wipeout. An intense obstacle course, the show saw 20 contestants compete to win £10,000.
The show ran for four years before being axed by the BBC.
The show is best known for the ‘Big Red Balls’:
Video Source/ YouTube
Richard has also presented Planet Earth Live; Science of Stupid; How To Build A Planet; Richard Hammond’s Blast Lab; and is set to host the new show, Richard Hammond’s Big.
Nowadays, Richard co-owns the company Drive Tribe with fellow Top Gear and The Grand Tour presenters Jeremy and James. It is an online platform which also has a YouTube channel.
Video Source/ YouTube
Richard’s personal life…
Richard has been married Amanda ‘Mindy’ Etheridge (now Hammond) since 2002. She is a columnist for the ‘Daily Express’.
Together the couple have two daughters, Isabella and Willow.
Image Source/ The Scottish Sun
The family live together on Bollitree farm and own many animals, including dogs, cats, horses, ducks, sheep and even a peacock!
Their home is actually a castle, and in 2012 it was reported that Richard spent £2 million on the residence.
Richard also has houses in London, Saint-Tropez and Wantage.
What vehicles does Richard own?..
Richard currently owns multiple cars including:
- 1963 Opel Kadett, a car he bought for Top Gear’s Botswana special – he named the car Oliver and had it shipped from Botswana to the UK
- 1969 Dodge Charger R/T
- 1979 MG Midget
- 1987 Land Rover Defender-110, known as “Buster” which he spent over £70,000 rebuilding in 2008
- 2016 Ford Mustang convertible in white with black Shelby stripes, which he bought as a Christmas present for his wife
- Land Rover 110 Station Wagon, which was christened “Wallycar” by his eldest daughter and has been owned by him twice.
He also owns many more cars, motorcycles, a tractor and a helicopter!
In 2012, he passed his helicopter flying license and occasionally flies his helicopter into London when he has work.
What vehicles does Richard no longer own…
Over the years Richard has owned FOUR versions of the Porsche 911.
He has also had a ZVW Campervan which he had customised in a pink colour specifically for his daughters.
On an episode of Top Gear he admitted that the car he regrets selling the most is the Ferrari 550 Maranello.