"I don’t understand it at all. My wife thinks it’s hilarious."

Awards for brave Hammond - Mar 7 2007
Richard Hammond and weather presenter Sian Lloyd have both picked up broadcasting awards.

The 37-year-old Top Gear star, who has made a miraculous recovery since his life-threatening crash last year, was named best satellite/digital TV personality for his role as host of Sky One show Brainiac.

He joked: "I’m not allowed to drink for a couple of years so I’m the designated driver, but no one wants to take the car with me."

Sian, who has also experienced a rough year due to her fiance Lembit Opik’s romance with Cheeky Girl Gabriela Irimia, won best TV weather presenter.

Ant and Dec won the TV personality award - their gong was picked up by I’m A Celebrity ...Get Me Out Of Here! star Myleene Klass.

Coronation Street was named TV soap of the year, while Emmerdale won a Special Award, leaving only EastEnders out in the cold, although Lacey Turner, Stacey Slater in the BBC soap, won a TV personality award.

The other winners at the 2007 Television and Radio Industries Club awards included Chris Moyles, whose Radio 1 breakfast show won best radio programme and he also won a digital radio award.

Deal Or No Deal was named best daytime show, Spooks picked up best TV drama, and the Strictly Come Dancing was named best TV reality programme.

And Have I Got News for You was named best TV entertainment programme, while the acclaimed Planet Earth won best TV/arts documentary.

Tyre blow-out ’key in Hammond crash’ - Jan 31 2007
Tyre failure was a "key element" in the high-speed crash which nearly claimed the life of TV presenter Richard Hammond, the jet car’s owner said today.

Primetime Landspeed Engineering said it could not comment in advance of a Health and Safety Executive report into the causes of the September crash.

But it said: "There is no question that a tyre failure was a key element in the crash which destroyed our much-pampered and historic car, which holds the Outright British Land Speed Record.

"We continue to offer our full co-operation by working alongside the HSE, together with the North Yorkshire Constabulary’s lead investigator, to establish what caused the tyre to fail."

The company statement comes after Colin Fallows, a director, appeared to suggest earlier this week that the Top Gear presenter was to some extent to blame for the crash by "failing to adhere to the briefing".

He was quoted in The Sun as saying: "Mr Hammond had a puncture and carried on with the tyre deflated", adding that Richard "stood on the brakes" after the blow-out.

In its statement today, Primetime Landspeed Engineering said it was "delighted" that Richard was now back on TV and appeared to be making an "outstanding recovery".

"We are delighted that Richard Hammond is back on our screens and appears to be making an outstanding recovery.

"We wish him and his family well. He is a decent man who showed promise in Vampire and we have been greatly traumatised seeing what happened to him in it."


Hammond car crash footage screened - Jan 28 2007
Dramatic footage of the high-speed crash which nearly claimed the life of Top Gear presenter Richard Hammond has been screened for the first time.

The footage was included in the first show of the new series.