James May's injuries taking 'a long time to heal' as presenter frustrated over blow to Channel 5 series

May's injury was so severe he was forced to pull out of a charity bike ride that he had planned to be taking part in.

In a post on X from earlier this month, the presenter detailed what happened as he penned to followers: "I'm taking part in a charity bicycle ride today, with the Armonico Consort and me old mate Oz Clarke (OBE).

"But I’m going in the car, because I bust my wrist in a bicycle accident." He followed up on his unfortunate health update with another post about the event, this time including a snap from proceedings.

"This is the event," he wrote to his 3.2 million followers. "I was supposed to accompany the musicians upon the piano, but now can’t."

However, it seems May's recovery is taking longer than expected, and his new Channel 5 series appears to have been delayed as a result.

May is reportedly unable to film for The Great Explorers as originally planned thanks to his injuries.

It's understood May is "annoyed" as filming for the show has been badly impacted. Expressing his frustrations, he said noted: "At my age, this sort of thing takes much longer to heal.

"I woke up one day and the one thing I never thought would happen had happened: I felt old. It's partly my hair; my baggy face," he told The Telegraph.

The documentary is set to tell the story of some of Europe's most famous explorers, from Christopher Columbus to Sir Walter Raleigh.

A source recently told The Sun: "This show is all about James looking back over the journeys of the world’s most notable explorers across three 90-minute episodes dedicated to each name.

"Not only will he examine the success of their stories, from engineering innovation to culinary invention, but also the treasures brought back to dark, damp Europe."

They added: "This series will also reveal the less impressive or palatable aspects of these men, for many, their discoveries may not be quite what they expected."

After announcing his unfortunate injury on October 15, May was inundated with comments from fans wishing him a "speedy recovery".

It comes after May and former Top Gear co-stars Richard Hammond and Jeremy Clarkson wrapped up their Amazon Prime series, The Grand Tour.

Titled One for the Road, the final instalment brought to an end the decades-long project of the beloved trio of car enthusiasts.

The ending to their iconic chapter together saw the three heading back to Kubu Island, where they filmed a Top Gear special way back in 2007.

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This is the event. I was supposed to accompany the musicians upon the piano, but now can’t. I’m expected to join in the singing.

Avoid the area. https://t.co/axAqidXhVy

— James May (@MrJamesMay) October 15, 2024

When asked if he feels the location marks a full circle moment, May, 61, expressed concerns about "insulting" viewers with the poignant choice.

"We haven't been back to Kubu Island since our first special, and it still looks exactly the same," he reflected, adding: "I suppose it has done for thousands of years.

"Throughout the whole experience of Top Gear and then The Grand Tour has been there wasn't a point in the intervening seventeen years where I sat and thought whimsically about Kubu Island.

"But then, when it happened, I thought, 'We’ve come a long way.' We're all older and struggled to climb up the rocks a little bit!"