On The Edge - Richard Hammond

As most of you know I'm a big Top Gear addict. However, I've not always been like that. I didn't really know much about Top Gear until the summer of 2006. I got bored and started to watch some of the old episodes and immediately fell in love with the little bloke. Then about two months later, I heard something on the news… Richard Hammond was in a coma after crashing a 200mph jet powered car. I think the countries hearts were in their mouths wanting him to pull through. When he released the book I immediately wanted to read it. With the help of his wife Mindy, he manged to write a 200+ page ... more

I have always been a fan of Top Gear - not because in any way I have a love or fascination with cars and engines - but because I enjoy the humour and banter between the three presenters. They all seem like good 'blokey' blokes who enjoy a laugh. I, like most of the country, was incredibly shocked to hear of Richard Hammond's horrific accident while driving a jet car, which occurred on 20th September 2006. When I saw that he had written a book about what happened and his road to recovery, I knew I was going to have to read it. The first thing to say is that although you might find the book in ... more

I've never read a biography, not until this one. I've always devoured novels, but never biographies/autobiographies. So what made me read this one? I've always been a huge fan of Hammond. I loved him in Top Gear, the banter with the other presenters, the way he good naturedly let Jeremy torment him with all manner of short jokes. He was cute, friendly and lovable. I was so excited when he started branching out and presenting other shows, such as Braniac: Science Abuse. Then one day my partner Phil says Hammond has crashed his jet car. I don't know the man, never even met him, but my stomach ... more

I remember hearing the news in September 2006 that Richard Hammond had been involved in a serious accident. I was surprised at how much I followed his recovery as prior to that he had not been on my radar at all. I knew who he was from the odd Top Gear I had watched, but now it seems that he is one of the most recognisable faces in the country. I am now an avid Top Gear fan, and cannot comprehend why the show and it's humour had not grabbed me so forcefully before. Most people know the story. Richard was filming for Top Gear when he was involved in a crash whilst travelling over 200 miles per ... more

I read this book after buying it for my husband for Christmas. I am a voracious reader, but even by my standards have finished this pretty fast (less than 2 days, and yes, I also have a full time job!) I am not normally a fan of biographies, I tend to find that most of the time the truth is not more entertaining than fiction! However, this book was different, it tells a difficult story honestly and with courage. On The Edge is the biography of Ricahrd Hammond, TV presenter and journalist. who (until September 2006) is most famous for presenting Top Gear. Whilst filming for Top Gear, Richard ... more