RICHARD Hammond has revealed how a childhood trip to Weston-super-Mare inspired his career in motoring television.

The former Top Gear and now Grand Tour presenter explained on his YouTube channel, DriveTribe (founded by himself, James May, and Jeremey Clarkson), how the Somerset seaside town sparked his interest in getting into TV during a trip to visit his grandparents.

In a Q&A session, Mike Fernie, the channel's presenter, asked Hammond where he would like to go on his next trip for YouTube, following a recent road trip to the Peak District.

Richard then explained his love for British seaside towns, and attributed this love to his childhood visits to Weston.

"I actually, on the way to our event yesterday, going down to Yeovil, passed Weston-super-Mare which is where my dad's parents used to live, so when we were in Birmingham we'd go down on holiday to see them in Weston-super-Mare," he said.

"I haven't been there for, I'm going to say, 25 years but it's probably more like 30. I drove down because I wanted to find a particular space where two critical things happened in my life.

"One, I stood on the seafront and looked over the wall. There was this bloke waving his arms about talking to a camera.

"I was like what's he doing? And it was Derek Griffiths who used to present kids shows at the time so that was cool.

"He was talking to the camera and I just thought 'that's amazing, look at him talking to somebody that's not there but it's like they are', and that's when the seed was sown for doing TV."

"Then over on the Winter Gardens opposite at the same time there was a car show on - there were a few classics and a few hot rods.

"I was, I'm going to say seven or eight, and had never seen anything like it.

"I ran around with my little 110 camera taking pictures and then once I got the prints back I gridded them up and I drew them.

"I think that's where the connection was made for me between TV and car... and I think I stood there and saw those two things and that defined my career path."