We have all heard the folk tales of what happens when a car is struck by lightning. I can remember a fad for trailing a strap from the rear of the car to the ground and being told that this was to “earth any lightning strikes”. It is very doubtful that lightning would bother to notice such a detail but most folklore is agreed that you are perfectly protected from lightning inside a car anyway. “It’s the tires,” we cry, you’re insulated.

But would you trust the theories enough to volunteer to be the guinea pig in a targeted lightning strike? One of the presenters of Top Gear, Richard Hammond, did just that and you can see the result by clicking on this link.

It is quite a tense experience even for the viewer, with thoughts of what would happen if something went wrong. The presenter seems quite cool, however, until after the experiment - he then starts to chatter away merrily, completely unaware of how the tension has been so visibly drained from him.

But it’s not that I blame him. I still wouldn’t volunteer for a similar test.