
Richard Hammond tells Chris Evans about the new series of his classic car workshop TV show – Virgin Radio UK
Virgin mobile Radio
17 Oct 2022, 13: 01
Advertisement

Journalist and presenter Rich Hammond joined The Chris Evans Breakfast Show with Sky to talk about series two of their docuseries, Richard Hammond’s Workshop.
The new ten-part collection premieres today on streaming service Discovery+, available via Sky Q, and follows Richard fulfilling his lifelong ambition to build and run a classic vehicle restoration plus repair workshop, close to his home in Herefordshire. The first series saw Rich set up the particular business, but after almost a year, they’re still not turning a profit. Richard told Bob: “So, end of the first season, it’s setup. The second season, which begins tonight, we’re like, ‘Here’s the course, isn’t it amazing? Wow! This is expensive in order to run, isn’t it? ’ So then it’s all about keeping this going. ”
He added: “The delicious irony was, in order to pay for a lot of the kit I needed to put into the particular classic car restoration class, in which one day We hoped to restore my own cars, I had to sell my very own cars! ”
The particular former Top Gear presenter runs his workshop along with Neil and Anthony Greenhouse, who are local mechanics in Herefordshire. He explained how they came to work together. “We established fish plus chip Fridays, where I’d turn up if I wasn’t working, with fish and chips, plus we’d all sit around and eat them and chat, plus one Friday we were chatting and Neil was a bit down, and he said, ‘I’m losing the workshop, they’re developing it, ’ and I said, ‘Well, I’m not going to employ you to work directly to me, to do my vehicles, because, a: I’m not Jay Leno, and b: there’s not a great deal of dignity in that for you. So, why don’t we set up a business together, plus we’ll get a little work shop, and once you’ve covered your costs you’ll be able in order to work on my cars? ’”
He continued: “I’ll tell you the next thing I thought, which was, ‘That might make the nice little telly show. ’ So we turned this into a TV show with Discovery, and as a result, my ambitions got carried away. Next thing I know the workshop is enormous, I’m selling the cars I was hoping to restore in a smaller working area to buy all the kit to put in the particular bigger workshop to restore other people’s cars. ”
Speaking about the mechanics, he said: “The guys can do amazing stuff. They’re properly talented. ”
Advertisement
In the particular new collection, the team gets a crash course in racing, and for a good reason. The presenter described: “I need to get customers, I actually need to get in contact with people who love classic cars, and who regularly, for whatever reason, damage them, need all of them repairing, and then, ideally, damage them again. Those people are obviously people who race classic vehicles. The best way to obtain to them, rather than just pay for expensive adverts, when I haven’t got any money in the business, we go race with them!
“So, I dug out of the barn an old MGB GT, which was the last car that I drove on a certain TV car show, ” this individual added. “We thought, let’s turn that will into the car and campaign it, and we did. Which, this turns out, is an even better way of getting rid of cash! ”
The second series will also see Richard’s wife, Mindy, investigating her husband’s business management skills, and will also follow Richard as he tries in order to impress prospective clients at a high-end car event, and also attempts to teach their younger daughter, Willow, to drive.
Advertising
Talking about the course, the speaker – who is also known for The Grand Tour – said: “This is a real entity, so we are still filming this series because it goes out. We wrap in two weeks, but then the business carries on. It’s not like all of us go, ‘Oh that’s it, it’s over. ’
“The cameras leave… and after that we are going to knuckle down plus we have got to get this thing working. ”
He added: “It’s business-led, and the TELEVISION just has to follow along. ”
When speaking about the prospect of future series of Rich Hammond’s Course, its star said: “Watch it please, and then I can make another one, because we’ve obtained the hang of doing it now! ”
Advertisement
During his chat along with Chris, Richard explained why he tends “to stand very close to people. ” Find out more on Virgin Radio’s TikTok .
Rich Hammond’s Class series 2 premieres on Discovery+ nowadays.
For more great interviews listen to The Philip Evans Breakfast time Show with Sky , weekdays from 6: 30am on Virgin mobile Radio, or catch up on-demand here .
Ad
Advertisement
Advertising campaign