| James May: Our Man in... | |
|---|---|
 Series 1 intertitle | |
| Written by | James May Henry Dalton |
| Directed by | Tom Whitter[1] |
| Presented by | James May |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| No. of series | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 15 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Will Daws Tom Whitter |
| Producers | Kate Godfrey Henry Dalton Frankie Fathers Mark Richardson |
| Production locations | Japan Italy India |
| Cinematography | Sean Carswell |
| Camera setup | Single-camera |
| Running time | 47‒53 minutes |
| Production companies |
|
| Original release | |
| Network | Amazon Prime Video |
| Release | 3 January 2020 (2020-01-03) – 5 January 2024 (2024-01-05) |
James May: Our Man in... is atravel documentary television series hosted byJames May and released viaAmazon Prime Video. Each series follows May as he travels a country and undergoes various local activities.
In the first series, titledJames May: Our Man in Japan, May's travels are presented as a linear journey traveling from the north end ofJapan, viaSapporo andTokyo to the south island.[2] Series two saw May touring Italy, titledJames May: Our Man in Italy.[3] The series takes him fromPalermo in Sicily to theDolomites.[4][5] A third series titledJames 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 had been cancelled.[8]
| Series | Title | Episodes | Originally released | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Our Man in Japan | 6 | 3 January 2020 (2020-01-03) | ||
| 2 | Our Man in Italy | 6 | 15 July 2022 (2022-07-15) | ||
| 3 | Our Man in India | 3 | 5 January 2024 (2024-01-05) | ||
During the episodes May is accompanied by a series of guides/translators.[9]
| No. | Title | Original release date | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Go!" | 3 January 2020 (2020-01-03) | 50 min. | |
May begins the journey through Japan atCape Soya, the northernmost tip of Japan on the island ofHokkaido, where he tries dog sledding,yukigassen competitive snowball fighting, plus fishing and eatingoctopus. He learns about the making ofsamurai swords and attempts to orderJapanese noodles from afood ticket machine restaurant. | ||||
| 2 | "Cabbage Roll" | 3 January 2020 (2020-01-03) | 47 min. | |
May visits the northern region ofTohoku, where he engages in aGundam-stylegiant robot duel piloting "LW-Mononofu" against "Land Walker". James bathes in a naturalonsen hot pool following aYamabushi retreat to theThree Mountains of Dewa. InSendai, he goes to a Zenryoku BoysJ-pop concert followed by clothes shopping. James travels to the deserted town ofNamie, Fukushima on the edge of theFukushima Exclusion Zone, before arriving into Tokyo onboard theShiki-shimaluxury train. | ||||
| 3 | "Deodorant" | 3 January 2020 (2020-01-03) | 51 min. | |
May starts in a helicopter aboveTokyo before meeting guide Yujiro Samurai Taniyama in acat café. Together they celebratecherry blossom, eatbento, singkaraoke withsalarymen, take part in theKanamara Matsuri fertility festival, and reviewautomated toilets. James gets pulled over by the police, then meetsMinoru Mukaiya, atrain melody composer, to write a jingle for "James MaySumimasen" station. The segment ends with consumingconveyor belt sushi, Jamesvoice acting as a dog at the Yoyogi Animation Academy, and walking through theTeamLab Borderless interactive digital video exhibit atMori Art Museum. | ||||
| 4 | "Hey Bim!" | 3 January 2020 (2020-01-03) | 52 min. | |
May travels from Tokyo toKyoto, where an unhelpful robotic guide repeatedly informs James about theSanjō Ōhashi bridge over theKamo River. He joins abiker gang, riding aKawasaki ZZR1400 motorbike, to viewMount Fuji where he attempts to interpret the mountain in a painting. Finally James is entertained by ageisha who treats him to atraditional tea ceremony. | ||||
| 5 | "Peach Boy" | 3 January 2020 (2020-01-03) | 50 min. | |
May arrives inOsaka, where he attemptspachinko but spends his winnings ontakoyaki octopus balls andKobe beef. James and Yujiro performBritish humour to a comedy audience to see if it will survive translation. He also visits asumo wrestling stable, theKorakuen Garden inOkayama, thePeace Memorial Park inHiroshima, and theItsukushima Shrine at Miyajima. | ||||
| 6 | "Pickled Plum" | 3 January 2020 (2020-01-03) | 51 min. | |
May starts inShikoku, where hecycles across a series of suspension bridges. InTakamatsu, James tries his hand atkyūdō Zen archery and makessoba noodles, after which he visitsNagoro, a deserted village filled with scarecrows. For the final leg of his journey, he travels toKyushu; in the city ofBeppu, he cooks his lunch in geothermal steam, and along with Yujiro is buried in hot sand. He visits aHonda motorcycle factory, rows a small boat through the Takachiho Gorge, dabbles inpottery andikebana, and acts in abunraku play, before finishing his journey atKagoshima. | ||||
| 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. |
| 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 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 theUnited 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 theCOVID-19 pandemic, and instead series two saw May touring Italy.[3]
The concept had originally been pitched to theBBC a number of years earlier, but not commissioned.[13]
Lucy Mangan forThe 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 "strenuouslyjocular".[14] Joel Keller forDecider 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 forThe 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. ForThe 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]
Production started this week.
other cast members are Yujiro Taniyama, Masayo Fujii, Makiko Kobayashi, Hacchan Hatanaka and Mai Nishiyama.
