Top Gear's most turbulent moments as BBC series is 'axed after 46 years'
Top Gear is set to be axed after 46 years, according to reports, which will bring the curtain down on the BBC motoring show which hasn't been shy of controversies over the years.
Bosses at the Beeb are thought to have made the "tough decision" following the crash which almost killed presenter Andrew 'Freddie' Flintoff, which led to sources at the corporation predict that there is "no way it can continue" after the horror smash last year. A BBC spokesperson told the Mirror on Friday: "A decision on the timing of future Top Gear shows will be made in due course with BBC Content.”
It was a 130mph crash by father-of-four Freddie, which left him with facial injuries and broken ribs after flipping an open-topped three-wheeled Morgan Super 3 at the Dunsfold Park Aerodrome in Surrey last December. The former cricket superstar was not wearing a crash helmet at the time and his face came into direct contact with the ground as the crash unfolded, and was left waiting 45 minutes before being airlifted to hospital.
Top Gear presenters Chris Harris, Freddie Flintoff and Paddy McGuinness (BBC Studios/Christopher Pillitz)
Former Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson was involved in a number of controversies on the BBC show (Getty Images)There have been a number of controversial moments over the years, with the time in which Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May being at the forefront of most of them before they left to join Amazon Prime for The Grand Tour – here are some of the biggest controversies that have befallen Top Gear over the years.
Richard Hammond in coma after jet-propelled crash (2006)
Richard Hammond was left fighting for his life while in a coma for two weeks following a horrific crash at a former airbase near York in 2006. The 'Hamster' was driving a jet-powered dragster travelling at 319mph when the vehicle suffered a front-right tyre blowout.
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The dragster left the track and flipped over several times on the grass leaving Hammond with a damaged eye, among other injuries, with the presenter having to be cut out of the wreckage with hydraulic shears. The accident left Hammond with post-traumatic amnesia and a five-second memory and fans of the show were able to see the full extent of the horror smash when the footage was aired in 2007.
Following the incident, Richard opened up to podcast host Steven Bartlett on A Diary Of A CEO and said his injuries "could mean there is an increased risk" of a condition linked to memory loss.
"I have to consciously write memories down and work hard to recall them sometimes. It might be because I'm 53, it might be because I'm working a lot and I'm tired, it might be the onset of something else," he explained. Hammond did not directly refer to early onset dementia but said he "probably needs an MRI scan".
Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May filming their final Top Gear show (PA)Falklands controv ers y leading to crew attack (2014)
Top Gear with Jeremy Clarkson et al in Argentina could be foreseen as being problematic, especially as the presenter was prone to the odd gaffe that could cause diplomatic difficulties.
In 2014, the BBC show was filming a two-part special when they infuriated locals by having a number plate on Clarkson's Porsche which read H982 FKL. and there were protests as Argentinians believed it was a reference to the Falklands conflict of 1982.
The crew were forced to remove the plate as protests were ramped up as they approached the city of Ushuaia, despite insistence that the number plate was randomly chosen. Footage showed that the car was damaged by stones and two members of the crew were injured in the attacks.
Jeremy Clarkson numerous racism controversies (2014)
Clarkson is no stranger to a racial controversy with a number of his comments during his 163 years on the show. The Mirror revealed in 2014 that unaired footage showed Clarkson allegedly using the N-word while reciting a nursery rhyme while filming. He originally denied the use of the word but later posted a video on Twitter (now called X) in which he admitted that he had mumbled it and apologised for the use of it.
His statement said: "Now when I viewed this footage, several weeks later, I realised that in one of the mumbled versions, if you listen very carefully with the sound turned right up, it did appear that I'd actually used the word I was trying to obscure. I was mortified by this, horrified, it is a word I loath. And I did everything in my power to make sure that that version did not appear in the programme that was transmitted.
"In fact, I have here the note I sent at the time to the production office. "And it says, 'I didn't use the n-word here but I've just listened through my headphones and it sounds like I did. Is there another take that we could use?' Please be assured I did everything in my power to not use that word. And as I'm sitting here begging your forgiveness for that fact that obviously my efforts weren't quite good enough.”
A statement released by the BBC said: “Jeremy Clarkson has set out the background to this regrettable episode. We have made it absolutely clear to him, the standards the BBC expects on air and off. We have left him in no doubt about how seriously we view this.”
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A couple of months later, Clarkson was reprimanded after Top Gear was ruled to have breached broadcasting rules for his use of a racial term to describe an Asian man while the show was being filmed in Thailand. The BBC put the presenter on a final warning at the time and said that it had dealt with the matter and apologised.
Clarkson’s “fracas” and punching producer (2015)
Clarkson's time on Top Gear came to an abrupt end in 2015 after he was suspended from the show following a "fracas" with a producer, which saw the presenter punch them. In a delightful turn of phrase, Clarkson also reportedly called the producer a “lazy Irish c***”.
Clarkson never returned to the show after the BBC announced that they would not be renewing his contract while the producer had to be treated in hospital following the punch.
Freddie Flintoff 'life-threatening' car bungee (2020)
Freddie pictured publicly last month while working with the England cricket team (Popperfoto via Getty Images)Before the crash that brought an end to Top Gear, Flintoff was involved in one of the show's most dangerous stunts, when he did a car bungee jump in 2020.
The Rover went over the top of a 500-foot dam and the former cricketer showed afterwards that he had deep red marks across his body as the straps worked overtime to hold him in place.
Top Gear co-presenter, Chris Harris said after the stunt that Flintoff had become "quite agitated" as he had to wait 45 minutes for all the safety checks to be completed before the life-threatening jump.
The BBC issued a statement in March, in which they apologised to Freddie about the circumstances of the crash. It read: "(BBC Studios) have sincerely apologised to Freddie and will continue to support him with his recovery. 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 judgement 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."
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