Top Gear's Richard Hammond does stand-up comedy - video

Crash Course sees the Hamster trying his hand at various challenges, the latest of which involved the diminutive petrolhead performing a stand-up gig at New York’s Gotham Comedy Club – a venue which has played host to the likes of Dave Chappelle, Jerry Seinfeld and Chris Rock over the years.

After a difficult warm-up in front of professional comedians, Hammond made his debut in front of the public and said he was "facing one of my greatest fears: performing a stand-up comedy routine. I’m either incredibly brave or totally insane."

For material, Hammond talked about his recent kidney stone surgery and made a number of gags about the unwillingness of the British to trouble the emergency services:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIq5u_ZcPiE

Before the gig Hammond told his mentors, American comics Jim Mendrinos and Eddie Brill: "I'm not funny. I have never written a joke in my life. I’d rather be the guy just introducing things.

"If I walk out in stage at home everyone knows who I am because I’m a big deal. I won’t have that here 'cos I'm just a small Brit."

However, he enjoyed the experience and said after the gig: "I really wish my Crash Course was longer because I know I could do better. It could become an obsession."

The new series of Crash Course began airing in the States earlier this week. BBC2 has recently screened the show’s first series in this country, which featured Hammond test driving different types of heavy machinery.