Top Gear unlikely to return to TV after Flintoff horror crash 'as production team dismantled'

17 September 2023, 07:16

Top Gear is unlikely to return to screens after Freddie Flintoff's serious high speed crash threw the motoring show's future in doubt.

Production was halted over the crash and filming on the latest series never resumed as the ex-cricketer recovered.

He was pictured for the first time with scars to his face as he watched England play New Zealand earlier this month, having stayed out of the public eye after suffering serious injuries.

Now, the production team behind the beloved show has been dismantled and sources say it will not return for another series.

Read more: Andrew Flintoff's wife 'told to expect the worst' after cricket legend's horror Top Gear smash

BBC sources told the Mail on Sunday that the programme's 34th series, which was already partially filmed, will not be finished and there are no plans to broadcast it.

And co-star Paddy McGuinness is said to believe it would be wrong to resume the show without Flintoff.

The show is famed for its risky motoring stunts, sometimes dicing with death - previously, Richard Hammond survived a 320mph crash which resulted in him spending a fortnight in a coma before recovering and returning to the production.

But it appears Flintoff's horror accident is the final straw for the show.

Read more: Freddie Flintoff is 'lucky to be alive' after 'nasty' car crash while filming Top Gear

He was driving a Morgan Super 3 - which does not have an airbag - at Dunsfold aerodrome in December when it flipped over at speed.

As it skidded his face was caught on the asphalt of the track. It has been reported he was not wearing a helmet at the time.

He had to wait 45 minutes for an air ambulance then four hours in surgery as his wife Rachael was told to expect the worst.

Flintoff, having spent months keeping a low profile, reemerged nine months later at the England game still sporting injuries on his face.

His former teammate, Steve Harmison, said he was covering up his face as recently as six weeks before that game.

"I got to see him then but at that time he covered his face up when he walked around – believe it or not, he was training a guide dog which I'm sure is going better now than it was because he tripped over around three times on his way around the field!" Harmison said.

It is believed this effectively marks the end of Flintoff's broadcasting career, barring existing commitments still to be aired, and there is talk he could take up a coaching role in the England setup.

Relations between Flintoff and the BBC are said to be "cordial". The broadcaster has carried out one review into the incident and apologised, while a second probe is ongoing, as a "broad group of people" involved in making Top Gear in recent years are spoken to.