MAN ON FIRE - The Life and Other Accidents of Jim Dowdall, Stuntman: Foreword by James May

Jim Dowdall - Stuntman on eight James Bond films; on Indiana Jones, on Star Wars; from doubling for Lee Marvin on The Dirty Dozen back in 1967 to being stunt co-ordinator for ten years for the Top Gear crew and The Grand Tour.

He’s crashed cars and motorbikes, been flung out of buildings, been shot, blown up and burned. All to save the main stars from injury, from Roger Moore to Matt Damon, from Sir Laurence Olivier to James May. He has the scars and injuries to prove it, and he’s still working.

Jim takes us behind the scenes on some of the greatest action and adventure films of the last fifty years. He shows us how the stunts were done – and we learn why you need oven glass when you’re set completely on fire; how to barrel-roll a car to stop exactly on the mark; and why cat litter is essential for explosions.

But this isn’t just a story of crazy stunts, it’s a look at what makes a stunt performer – the preparation, the fitness, the mental attitude – and how those skills can benefit all of us in our daily lives.