Top Gear host gives update on Freddie Flintoff
Top Gear has been pulled by the BBC following the crash which left host Freddie Flintoff seriously injured, the BBC has announced.
The BBC will “rest” hit motoring show Top Gear “for the foreseeable future”, it has been announced almost a year after Freddie’s horrendous crash.
The broadcaster told PA News Agency: “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.”
They added: “All other Top Gear activity remains unaffected by this hiatus including ‘international formats, digital, magazines and licensing.'”
Freddie, 45, crashed on the programme’s test track at Dunsfold Park Aerodrome in Surrey last December.
The former cricket player, who joined Top Gear in 2019, was left with facial injuries and broken ribs after the smash and had to be airlifted to hospital.
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In September, Freddie was photographed for the first time in public since the accident and had visible facial injuries as he visited the England cricket squad for their one-day international series against New Zealand.
While presenting cricketer Tom Hartley with his cap for the England team, Freddie shared: “Play with passion, play with pride, play with belief. And also part of a family of people.
“They’ll share the good times with you, share the successes. But as I found over the past few months, they’ll be there for you in the hardest times of your life.”
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The BBC said a health and safety 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: “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.”
According to reports, there was a separate investigation into Freddie’s crash which was concluded this March.
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