May was called into the managing director's office and dismissed on the spot. Looking back, was being fired by Autocar a turning point? "Umm, well, good question," the shaggy haired hero of the highways says from the London flat he shares with his cat, Fusker. But, yes, it possibly was. His next job was as a columnist. That led to other work, including radio, which in turn triggered opportunities on the telly, which got him spotted for Top Gear, a BBC motoring show shown on SBS that rocks the globe and attracts 35 million viewers.

"Of course, in the short term being fired did have a bit of an effect. It was right at Christmas and I got to be a bit short of money," winces the 45-year-old. Presenting Top Gear is undoubtedly the best job in motoring TV, if not the best job full stop, he agrees, even if sometimes the action gets a little too exciting. He was chased by angry people in America and had a harrowing race to Oslo in inflatable powerboats. "One of them started sinking, and the other one punctured. That was one of the low points of my whole existence," says May. "I thought, 'Well, at least I'm not being sick'. And then (Richard) Hammond started throwing up. All over me."

Last year May and co-star Jeremy Clarkson became the first people to reach the magnetic North Pole in a car (a highly modified Toyota Hilux). Another achievement, belying that Captain Slow nickname, has been to drive the world's fastest sports car, the $1.3 million Bugatti Veyron, at its maximum speed of 407 km/h — one-third the speed of sound. So what else aside from cars rocks his socks? Music, science, toys are favourite subjects May has made TV shows about. There's also a New Zealand wine discovery series with connoisseur Oz Clarke. "I like wine, but I don't really understand it — or care to understand it. Which drives Oz, an outright expert, potty." Outside of "work", he enjoys being a big kid, playing with the toys of his youth, model trains and slot cars. That great British brand Scalextric, of course.

Drinking real ale in a quiet pub or reading is another enjoyment, as is flying; he owns a light aircraft. May graduated from Lancaster University with a degree in music. What first ignited his love of cars? "My dad. When I was three years old I remember waking up to find a beige-coloured Aston Martin DB4 he'd left on my pillow," says May. "It was a very exciting moment, and the first spark." After university, he was a filing clerk at a hospital before working in a factory, assembling cardboard boxes.

He broke into journalism after applying for a job at a trade magazine for engineers. Does he now feel famous? He supposes he does, but it's not too heavy a burden. "Occasionally it means you can't go and sit in a pub quietly, because people will want to come and talk to you but, in a way, it's nice that they do because it's almost part of the job, really, talking to people about cars and things." May does occasionally crop up in magazines, mainly due to his hairstyle. He was voted TV star with the worst hair in a 2007 UK poll.

It's a strange thing, he agrees. In the early days, he was forever being asked to get a haircut. Now he's urged — by the same marketing folk — to keep the "do" intact. "Apparently, keeping it a bit untidy is all part of the 'brand', whatever that is. I don't mind because, if I have it cut really short I tend to look slightly retarded, and I feel I look ridiculous anyway. "When I first started on Top Gear my hair was pretty long and the directors did say, 'You need to get that trimmed a bit'. "So I thought I'd better go and get it cut because, y'know, it's television and serious … "But then I had second thoughts and imagined I'd look like a bit of a knob, so I just kept it as it is. Now, of course, I'm sort of stuck with it."

May says he only twigged to the global success of Top Gear when he realised, about a year ago, there were few countries where he wasn't being recognised. "It happens quite a bit now in France and Holland and Belgium, but even in America nowadays where people seem to be watching it on the internet. "We'll get it in places like Iceland and Norway, too. I went to Syria recently for a holiday and they're even watching it there." And the famous hidden message in Autocar? It read: "So you think it's really good, yeah? You should try making the bloody thing up. It's a real pain in the arse." Classic James May, really.

NZPA Top Gear screens Mondays at 7.30pm on SBS.