So, you’re sitting there, maybe after a third glass of wine, and a thought bubbles up: Is James May, the slow-talking, plane-loving, Captain Slow of The Grand Tour, actually related to Brian May, the guitar-shredding, astrophysics-wielding, curly-haired legend of Queen? It’s a question that has haunted pub quizzes and dinner parties for years. Let’s settle this once and for all, shall we?
Spoiler: They are not related. Not by blood, anyway. Brian May’s dad was Harold May, a draughtsman on aircraft—which is almost a connection, since James spends half his life tinkering with aeroplanes. But no, the names are a cosmic coincidence. It’s like finding two different planets both called “Earth” and assuming they’re cousins.
Their vibes, however, are another story. Brian May plays a guitar he built with his dad from an old fireplace. James May once built a shed made entirely of Meccano. Both are deeply, gloriously English—the kind of blokes who’d fix a vintage train whistle while humming “Bohemian Rhapsody.” They share a fondness for tweed, a bafflement with modern slang, and a hair situation that defies gravity (James’s is just more… windswept).
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And yet, the conspiracy theories persist. “But they both have ‘May’ and they’re both geniuses!” fans cry. To which we say: Correlation isn’t causation. Steve from accounting also has a surname and two thumbs, but you don’t think he’s King Charles’s lost heir, do you?
So, no, James and Brian aren’t family. But here’s the uplifting truth: They are kindred spirits in the great, messy orchestra of life. One strums celestial rock anthems; the other designs cardboard bridges and calls it a Tuesday. And isn’t it wonderful that two unrelated people can exist, each making the world a little weirder and more wonderful? That’s the real connection. Now, go forth and enjoy your next pub quiz—armed with the facts, and a smile.
