1 week Ago
A new documentary about former England cricketer Andrew “Freddie” Flintoff’s Top Gear crash is airing this week. The programme, titled Flintoff, will look at his life story from his success for England as a cricketer, to becoming a British TV icon, and recovering from his life-altering crash in 2022. The crash while filming Top Gear nearly killed Flintoff and left him with severe facial and rib injuries.
Following the crash, the BBC announced it had "decided to rest the UK show". What happened to Freddie Flintoff in the Top Gear crash? Flintoff was the co-host of the flagship BBC car show alongside Paddy McGuinness and Chris Harris, which he took on in 2019. However, his time on the show was cut short after he was injured in an accident at the Top Gear Test Track - the Dunsfold Aerodrome, in Surrey, in December 2022.
He reportedly flipped a Morgan Super 3 vehicle on the first bend at the Top Gear test track during filming for the show while not wearing a helmet. The vehicle was only travelling at 22mph but was open-top, meaning when it flipped Flintoff's face scraped along the tarmac, reported the Mail on Sunday . Freddie Flintoff hosted Top Gear with Paddy McGuinness (Image: Lee Brimble/PA) Did Top Gear end because of Freddie Flintoff's crash? There were reports Flintoff's crash was so bad that Top Gear staff who witnessed it had to be signed off work indefinitely as they struggled to come to terms with an incident described as "something you would truly want to unsee".
It was in November 2023 that the BBC announced it would rest Top Gear for the "foreseeable future". While the BBC did not strictly say the show was axed due to the crash, it confirmed in its statement that the decision was due to the "exceptional circumstances". The BBC reached a financial settlement with Flintoff, with the agreement reportedly worth £9 million.
@bbcnews The payout will not be funded by the TV licence fee. #BBC #BBCStudios #FreddieFlintoff #TopGear #Cricket #BBCNews ♬ original sound - BBC News The statement added: "The BBC remains committed to Freddie, Chris and Paddy, who have been at the heart of the show's renaissance since 2019, and we're excited about new projects being developed with each of them. "We know resting the show will be disappointing news for fans, but it is the right thing to do.
" Will Top Gear ever return? The BBC's statement said the show was being "rested for the foreseeable future" however did not say it was cancelled forever. The show did have a previous abrupt hiatus during its 22nd series in 2015, with former presenter Jeremy Clarkson being suspended due to allegations of verbal and physical abuse. Clarkson's contract was terminated with former BBC Director-General Tony Hall saying at the time the company was working out "how we put out the last programmes in the current series".
Chris Evans and Matt LeBlanc hosted the series in 2016, with Evans leaving after just one series due to poor reviews. Recommended reading: James May speaks out after Top Gear rested for 'foreseeable future' by BBC Paddy McGuinness reveals details of his own 'brain rattling' crash on Top Gear Freddie Flintoff confirms date for ‘tell-all’ documentary about Top Gear crash LeBlanc left the show in 2019 with Paddy McGuinness and Freddie Flintoff as the new hosts. Views increased when Flintoff and McGuinness took over as hosts, and fans remain hopeful of the show's potential return.
The documentary Flintoff will premiere exclusively on Disney + on Friday, April 25..
