I was on a bus. A crowded, mercilessly long journey between Grahamstown and Johannesburg. The second Olsen Twins movie was playing at a horrendous volume and I was barely clinging onto my sanity when the call came through. Richard Hammond was in a coma following a horrific high speed accident. My heart sank.

I am a massive fan of Top Gear and its three presenters. I’ve been lucky enough to meet them on various occasions and interview the Top Gear presenters. For whatever reason, I felt like one of my friends was severely injured.

The next few days would see Hammond regain consciousness, with friends Clarkson and May at his bedside, and start his path to recovery. He wrote about recovering from brain damage in his book, On the Edge. It’s a good read if you can find a copy.

It took months and months of work and support for Hammond to get back to himself. If there is anyone on the planet who can relate to what is happening, and what might happen, to F1 legend Michael Schumacher, it is the pint-sized Birminghammer from TV’s biggest show.

In a candid interview with BBC Five Live, Hammond speaks openly about the challenges of recovering from such an injury. It is a moving, insightful interview, and offers possibly the best perspective on the Schumacher saga that I’ve come across.

Forget about journalists hounding the Schumacher family. Forget about press conferences from doctors. This is just about everything you need to know about how life might be for the world’s most successful driver.

Richard Hammond on Schumacher’s injury video