Freddie Flintoff 'raised concerns' about Top Gear stunt before horror crash

22 November 2023 , 12:21

379     0

Freddie Flintoff was severely injured while filming Top Gear last year (Image: BBC/Lee Brimble)

Top Gear's Freddie Flintoff raised safety concerns about the racing stunt that ended in a serious crash last December, according to inside reports.

The BBC motor show was cancelled earlier this month, nearly a year after an accident during filming for its 34th series left the 45-year-old severely injured. Top Gear bosses confirmed on Tuesday that production had been halted "for the foreseeable future", marking its first hiatus from the screen in over five decades.

James May, who co-hosted the show with Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond between 2013 and 2015, has expressed his disappointment over the axing, admitting he "can't believe it's gone for ever." The 60-year-old broadcaster also shared his nostalgia for the iconic program, adding, "I think it's sad because I was a big Top Gear watcher when I was a teenager in the 70s."

Freddie Flintoff was left severely injured by the crash (BBC/Lee Brimble)

The decision to halt the show's production comes nearly a year after a accident during filming left Top Gear's Freddie Flintoff with severely injured. The retired cricket player was airlifted to hospital with broken ribs and serious facial wounds on December 13, 2022, after his car flipped over at Dunsfold Park Aerodrome alongside co-hosts Paddy McGuinness and Chris Harris. A statement released by Freddie's son, Corey, said that the sportsman was 'lucky to be alive' following the horrific accident.

if you can't see the poll, click here

EastEnders' Jake Wood's snap of son has fans pointing out the pair's likeness

James has since reassured fans that Top Gear has strict safety protocols, saying: "I don't think we ever did anything dangerous. We used to take safety very seriously and I still know guys who have worked on it, and they do as well." It's understood that Freddie, who joined Top Gear in 2019, did not sustain life-threatening injuries but was still deeply affected by the accident.

Paddy, Freddie and Chris were filming on Top Gear's test track when the accident occurred (BBC/Lee Brimble)

"It was a serious incident. I’m not going to say any more than that," Chris Harris told BBC Breakfast, after reassuring fans that Freddie is now "healing." He also praised the show for its handling of the crash, adding, "As I’ve said in the book and in the few interviews I’ve given, I’m so proud of the fact that team Top Gear kept everything quiet and we were dignified."

Meanwhile, a source told the Sun: "Freddie has been seriously emotionally and physically affected by the crash. He is a daredevil, that’s what he does, and he doesn’t feel like he is able to continue to play that role on the show."

Speaking about the future of Top Gear, James May said: "If Top Gear were to return, May said the show “does need a bit of a rethink. Since we left, Top Gear has followed a similar format and framework to the way we left it. There must be another way of doing a show about cars that will perhaps embrace more fulsomely many of the questions that are being asked about cars that weren’t being asked for a long time.”

Last month, it was reported that Freddie had reached a £9million settlement with the BBC following the accident. The BBC has since stated that it "remains committed to Freddie, Chris and Paddy" and is "excited about new projects with them."

Emma Dooney