The BBC has canned popular show Top Gear for the foreseeable future due to what it says are “exceptional circumstances”.
Key points:
- Andrew “Freddie” Flintoff was injured in a crash while filming Top Gear last year
- He recently reached a settlement with the BBC, reportedly worth £9m
- The BBC abandoned filming of the latest series of the show in March this year
Presenter and former England cricket allrounder Andrew “Freddie” Flintoff was injured in a crash while filming the show last year at Top Gear’s test track in Surrey.
Warning this story contains graphic footage.
Flintoff sustained broken ribs and facial injuries from the crash and recently reached a settlement with the BBC, reportedly worth £9 million ($17 million).
The payout will not be funded by the TV licence fee, as BBC Studios is a commercial arm of the broadcaster.
In a statement, the BBC said it has “decided to rest the UK show”.
Britain’s national broadcaster added that new projects would be worked on for hosts Flintoff, Chris Harris and Paddy McGuinness.
“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,” the statement from the broadcaster reads.
“We will have more to say in the near future on this. We know resting the show will be disappointing news for fans, but it is the right thing to do.
“All other Top Gear activity remains unaffected by this hiatus including international formats, digital, magazines and licensing.”
The broadcaster abandoned filming of the latest series of motoring programme in March this year, following an investigation into the December crash.
New safety standards to be implemented
Following the Health and Safety review of the show, BBC Studios said while it had complied with the required BBC policies and industry best practice in making the show, “there were important learnings which would need to be rigorously applied to future Top Gear UK productions”.
“The report includes a number of recommendations to improve approaches to safety as Top Gear is a complex programme-making environment routinely navigating tight filming schedules and ambitious editorial expectations — challenges often experienced by long-running shows with an established on and off screen team.
“Learnings included a detailed action plan involving changes in the ways of working, such as increased clarity on roles and responsibilities and better communication between teams for any future Top Gear production.”
The first public images of Flintoff since the crash appeared in September this year, at the third one day international cricket at Kia Oval in London, showing visible scars from his injuries.
Last week, Flintoff was named head coach of an English cricket franchise and in September joined the England team in an unofficial coaching role.
It’s not the first time a host of Top Gear show has been seriously injured while filming.
Former presenter Richard Hammond was left in a coma for two weeks in 2006, after a jet-powered vehicle flipped at 450/kph.
The injury caused production of series 9 to be delayed by several months.