James May comments on 'ghost' spotted walking across road in new documentary
Watch: Ghost spotted in James May's new Italy documentary
James May insisted there may be a 'more boring' explanation for the 'ghost' spotted in his new documentary series.
The former Top Gear presenter travels around Italy in his new Prime Video series Our Man in Italy. In episode three, the show visits the ancient Roman city of Pompeii, where the population was wiped out in 79AD by the eruption of nearby volcano Mount Vesuvius, leaving some people petrified as they fled.
As May, 59, told the camera: "It probably is worth remembering that this is a mass grave", a semi-transparent figure appears and walks across the road, before disappearing into thin air.
Read more: James May admits retirement is 'not far off' for him
Many viewers spotted the 'ghost' and shared the supernatural encounter on social media.
May tweeted: "My thanks to everyone who has pointed out the ‘ghost’ in ep3 of my new Italy series. Nobody saw it at the time, so it’s either a real ghost or (more likely but also more boring) just a bit of digital file corruption."
Fans have since shared clips of several other 'ghosts' in the series. One in an underground carpark in episode four, and another in woodland in the background where May is filming outdoors.
The six part travel documentary launched on Prime at the beginning of July, seeing May drive around the country enjoying the wine, the sights and culture.
It follows his 2020 series James May: Our Man in Japan.
May signed a contract with Amazon in 2015 after his Top Gear co-host Jeremy Clarkson was suspended by the BBC for punching producer Oisin Tymon in an argument over food while filming on location.
He and co-presenters May and Richard Hammond left and signed a deal with Amazon Prime to host new car show The Grand Tour instead.
May has spoken several times in recent years about retiring from TV.
He said recently: "A very close friend of mine died a few weeks ago. He retired early, because he’d always had this fear that his family isn’t very long-lived, and he wanted to swap possessions for experiences and knowledge.
"That’s what he started doing, but unfortunately he got cancer and it killed him.
Read more: Jeremy Clarkson leads celebs accusing weather reporters of scaremongering
"It was quite interesting thinking about that after he’d gone because it takes a certain amount of courage to say, ‘No, I don’t want to telegraph my success and my sophistication. I simply want to have a nice life and contemplate the mystery and wonder of God’s creation.’"