[ad_1]
BBC will NOT resume filming the latest Top Gear series after investigation into horror accident that left presenter Andrew ‘Freddie’ Flintoff seriously injured
The BBC has said it will not resume filming of the latest series of Top Gear after an investigation into a horror accident that left presenter Andrew ‘Freddie’ Flintoff seriously injured.
The 45-year-old was involved in an accident while filming at the Top Gear test track at Dunsfold Aerodrome in Surrey on December 13, last year.
He was airlifted to hospital with facial injuries and broken ribs after car he was driving – an open-topped three-wheel 130mph Morgan Super 3 which doesn’t have air bags – flipped over.
Filming on the series was suspended while Flintoff recovered from his injuries and investigations took place, with reports the former professional cricketer was putting his TV career on hold after the crash.
The BBC has now confirmed filming of this series, which had been slated to be aired in the autumn, has been shelved and in a statement the corporation said it ‘will continue to support’ Flintoff ‘with his recovery’.
Andrew ‘Freddie’ Flintoff (pictured) was seriously injured in a crash while filming the latest series of Top Gear
The former professional cricketer received facial injuries and broken ribs after the vehicle he was driving flipped over
The TV host, pictured here with co-presenters Chris Harris and Paddy McGuinness, had been filming the latest series of the show, which was due to be aired this autumn
It also said: ‘Under the circumstances, we feel it would be inappropriate to resume making series 34 of Top Gear at this time.
‘We understand this will be disappointing for fans, but it is the right thing to do, and we’ll make a judgment about how best to continue later this year.
‘This has also impacted the production team, who we continue to support.
‘Finally there will be a health and safety review of the show, in line with our procedures.’
Flintoff, who won the Ashes with England as a cricket player before into TV presenting, had been driving a classic-look £43,000 British handmade vehicle -which is described as a ‘motorised tricycle’ and does not have air bags, according to maker Morgan’s website.
The incident was said to have left the cast and crew ‘reeling from the shock’, with concerns over the future of the show which has had a history of serious crashes.
After the crash his family reportedly begged him to stay away from work while he recovered, with an insider telling The Sun he would be ‘putting his career on hold until he is in a better place mentally and physically’.
They added: ‘As a loving husband and dad he understands the fear his family feel about what’s happened, knowing that he could have been killed. He is determined to resume his TV work at some point though.
‘That’s why this decision will be a painful one for Freddie, but he knows that, for now at least, there are more important things in life.’
The smash came three years after the ex-cricketer narrowly cheated death following a shock 125mph crash.
In 2019, Flintoff was heard fearfully yelling ‘I can’t stop,’ as he hurtled head-first down a runway just inches off the ground in a three-wheeled cycle car.
He had been racing his co-hosts when he realised he was running out of road and about to overshoot the finish line – seeing him spin off in a cloud of dust.
Flintoff walked away from the ‘near-death’ crash unscathed, insisting he was ‘absolutely fine’.
He said at the time: ‘I go to great lengths to make sure I do well in Top Gear drag races but, on this occasion, I went a few lengths too far. It will look more ridiculous than dangerous when you see it on TV.’Â
More to follow…Â
[ad_2]
Source link
