23 November 2023 , 08:19
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Paddy McGuinness has broken his silence after BBC announced Top Gear would be 'rested' for the foreseeable future.
Andrew 'Freddie' Flintoff was injured in a horror crash on Top Gear last year, and now the show is on 'rest' following a review. BBC bosses announced on last week the motoring programme will be shelved for the "foreseeable future" following Freddie's accident at the Dunsfold Aerodrome test track in Surrey last December. The 45-year-old was left with serious injuries and is still in recovery.
The broadcaster will 'pause production' on the show co-presented by Take Me Out host Paddy, 50, and automotive journalist Chris Harris, as it was felt it would be "inappropriate" to continue. Now, Paddy has reacted to the news in an Instagram post.
He shared a series of photos of himself alongside Freddie and Chris from their time filming the hit motoring show. One image saw the trio dressed in white suits while another saw the presenters posing on a plane for a selfie. Other snaPs shared by Paddy in the post showed the three in racing suits while another shows them with The Stig.
After sharing the highlights from his time presenting the programme, Paddy then penned in the caption: "We were always going to be b******s but we were your b******s.
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BBC Top Gear host Paddy McGuinness breaks his silence after the show's axing (Instagram)
Freddie Flintoff was pictured with facial injuries months after the crash (PA)"Thanks for all the love over the years folks, it was very much appreciated," before ending the post with the hashtag '#TopGear'.
Paddy, who began hosting the programme alongside Freddie and Chris in 2019, was soon flooded with messages from fans in the comments as one wrote: "Obviously we don’t know the details but does seem a shame to end it. I personally think the bbc have been looking to get rid of it for years. Shame was getting back into it since the original trio left." [sic]
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Another said: "Greatly appreciated the entertainment,you guys did a fantastic job and you will be missed" [sic], while a third added: "Best trio since Clarkson, may and the hamster". [sic]
Paddy shared a series of photos from his time on the programme, including a snap of the trio in racing suits (Instagram)In a statement, the BBC announced the decision to 'rest' the programme as the corporation said: "Given the exceptional circumstances, the BBC has decided to rest the UK show for the foreseeable future.
"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. 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."
In addition, BBC Studios said a health and safety production review of Top Gear, which did not cover the accident but instead looked at previous seasons, found that "while BBC Studios 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."
A statement added: "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 investigation looked at series 32, 33 and production of series 34 up to the December 22 accident.
In September, father-of-four Flintoff was photographed for the first time in public since the crash and had visible facial injuries as he joined up with the England cricket squad for their one-day international series against New Zealand. He has since made a gradual return to the public eye and it was announced Flintoff has been appointed as head coach of the Northern Superchargers in The Hundred, replacing ex-England wicketkeeper James Foster.
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