3 January 2020 (2020-01-03) – 5 January 2024 (2024-01-05)
James May: Our Man in... is a travel documentary television series hosted by James May and released via Amazon Prime Video. Each series follows May as he travels a country and undergoes various local activities.
In the first series, titled James May: Our Man in Japan, May's travels are presented as a linear journey traveling from the north end of Japan, via Sapporo and Tokyo to the south island.[2]
Series two saw May touring Italy, titled James May: Our Man in Italy.[3] The series takes him from Palermo in Sicily to the Dolomites.[4][5]
A third series titled James May: Our Man in India was ordered in February 2023,[6] and released on 5 January 2024.[7] In October 2024, May confirmed the series was cancelled.[8]
May starts in Shikoku, where he cycles across a series of suspension bridges. In Takamatsu, James tries his hand at kyūdō Zen archery and makes soba noodles, after which he visits Nagoro, a deserted village filled with scarecrows. For the final leg of his journey, he travels to Kyushu; in the city of Beppu, he cooks his lunch in geothermal steam, and along with Yujiro is buried in hot sand. He visits a Hondamotorcycle factory, rows a small boat through the Takachiho Gorge, dabbles in pottery and ikebana, and acts in a bunraku play, before finishing his journey at Kagoshima.
Series 2: Our Man in Italy (2022)
No. overall
No. in series
Title
Original release date
Length
7
1
"God’s Apology"
15 July 2022 (2022-07-15)
53 min.
8
2
"House of Pain"
15 July 2022 (2022-07-15)
51 min.
9
3
"Dark Matter"
15 July 2022 (2022-07-15)
51 min.
10
4
"Really, Really Nice Cheese"
15 July 2022 (2022-07-15)
51 min.
11
5
"Hey Pesto"
15 July 2022 (2022-07-15)
51 min.
12
6
"Bye, Bim"
15 July 2022 (2022-07-15)
51 min.
Series 3: Our Man in India (2024)
No. overall
No. in series
Title
Original release date
Length
13
1
"John"
5 January 2024 (2024-01-05)
49 min
14
2
"A Bit Like Glasgow"
5 January 2024 (2024-01-05)
50 min
15
3
"Calamari"
5 January 2024 (2024-01-05)
52 min
Production
Production for the first series started in Japan in March 2019,[1] with the show being filmed over the course of three months.[10] In August 2021 it was confirmed that a second series, set in the United States, had been commissioned.[11][12] However, in October 2021 it was announced that filming in the United States could not go ahead as planned due to various restrictions as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and instead series two saw May touring Italy.[3]
The concept had originally been pitched to the BBC a number of years earlier, but not commissioned.[13]
Release
Lucy Mangan for The Guardian gave the first series three out of five stars. She praised the travelogue's inclusion of "under-publicised aspects of the [Japanese] culture" but noted James May's interaction with the television crew as low-brow and "strenuously jocular".[14] Joel Keller for Decider enjoyed the series and appreciated that May's "sincere desire to get a feel for Japanese life is worth watching."[15]
Regarding the second series, Anita Singh for The Telegraph gave it four out of five stars. She found the series "enjoyable, even if it does meander", and approved of May's presenting style stating he "is a very pleasant travelling companion".[16]
Like the first two series, the third also received positive reviews. For The Telegraph, Singh gave the series three out of five stars. She found the series derivative of previous travelogues but praised May's style of "slightly bewildered Englishman, resigned to losing his dignity".[17]
^Prizmi Tripathi (4 January 2020). "Will There be a James May: Our Man in Japan Season 2?". The Cinemaholic. Archived from the original on 12 January 2020. Retrieved 12 January 2020. other cast members are Yujiro Taniyama, Masayo Fujii, Makiko Kobayashi, Hacchan Hatanaka and Mai Nishiyama.
