Hammond takes his first steps to recovery

The 36-year-old Top Gear star is in a stable condition at Leeds General Infirmary where friends and family have been keeping a bedside vigil following Wednesday's accident at Elvington airfield, near York.

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The injured presenter, affectionately known as 'the hamster' on TopGear spoke to his colleagues on Thursday night:

"Just 30 hours after what is almost certainly the world's fastest ever car crash, Richard Hammond suddenly sat up in bed opened his eyes and asked what had happened," Jeremy Clarkson told the Sun.

"'You've been in a car accident,' I said. 'Was I driving like a tw t?' he asked. Before getting out of bed and walking shakily to the lavatory."

Hammond, who has been moved out of intensive care, had not lost his sense of humour. Mr Clarkson said his first words to co-presenter James May was "Hello C**kface."

"Two years ago, Richard Hammond, James May and I agreed on a plan of action should on of us be killed while making our show, TopGear," Clarkson added.

"We decided that after the announcement of the death was made in the following week's show, the next word should be 'anyway'.

"It was a sort of joke. But then this week, it sort of wasn't."

The presenter suffered a 'significant brain injury' when the 370mph jet-powered Vampire dragster he was driving at speeds up to 300mph veered off the runway, flipped over several times and crashed on to the grass. He was airlifted to hospital.

Police and Health and Safety Executive investigations are continuing to establish exactly what went wrong in the incident which happened during filming for the BBC2 motoring show.

However, Mr Clarkson has hit out at questions raised about the safety of the latest tragic car stunt.

"People are saying that our producers push us to do more and more dangerous stunts in a bid for ratings. Rubbish. Our producers spend their whole lives filling in health and safety forms and asking 'are you sure?'

"It's the presenters who come up with the hare-brained ideas and trans-continental races...not the background boys or the suits."

James May, issued a statement saying: "I've had a conversation with Hammond. Not a long one, but it was a conversation. I want to say this - doctors are cautiously optimistic about his recovery because doctors have to be.

"I'm not a doctor but I am his mate and I believe that deep inside the Hammond I know is perfectly intact."

A hospital spokesman said that yesterday morning the presenter been moved from intensive care on to a high dependency unit. "His condition has been downgraded from 'serious but stable' to 'stable'," he added.

Neurosurgery experts have said the fact that Hammond was able to regain some consciousness in the immediate aftermath of the crash could bolster hopes of a good recovery.

But neurosurgeon John Firth, of Nottingham, said the first 10 days could be crucial in determining the outcome.

Hammond is understood to have undertaken a number of runs before the one which ended in the crash. May had been due to make the run but Hammond had taken over.

A BBC spokeswoman confirmed the final part of the Best of Top Gear, which was due to be screened on October 1, had been postponed indefinitely.

His wife Mindy told the Daily Mirror: "The whole family is overwhelmed by everyone's support. There have been so many flowers, cards and emails from around the world.

"To know that so many people love him is astounding. We want to thank everyone for their good wishes and prayers."