Mikeleigh
The BBC has decided to temporarily suspend the show Top Gear after an accident involving Freddie Flintoff. This comes after the show has been on the air for 46 years, but the broadcaster believes it's time to give
The BBC has made it known that Top Gear will not be coming back on television "in the near future" following the 2022 accident that involved presenter Freddie Flintoff.
The BBC has announced that it will be taking a break from airing the UK show.
The ex-captain of the England cricket team, who is now a broadcaster, was transported to the hospital via air ambulance in December of last year. This was a result of a high-speed crash that occurred at Dunsfold Park Aerodrome in Surrey. This location has been frequently showcased on the BBC show since 2002. Prior to this incident, the individual had experienced another accident where they lost control of a motorized trike while competing against their co-hosts Chris Harris and Paddy McGuinness, reaching speeds of 124mph.
Following an investigation by an external BBC health and safety team, the choice to remove the motoring show from television was made. The specific details of the investigation's findings will not be made public. However, a separate report on the health and safety of previous seasons of Top Gear acknowledged that there were valuable lessons to be learned in the production process.
After the accident in 2022, the BBC issued an apology to the presenter and came to a financial agreement with him, believed to be around £9m. Flintoff has been spotted in public with facial injuries, and according to his legal team, he is still in the process of recovering from injuries that have significantly impacted his life.
Flintoff is not the first presenter to experience a serious accident that impacted their health. Another presenter, Richard Hammond, who worked on the same series as Jeremy Clarkson and James May in the 2000s and early 2010s, was severely injured in 2006 at York's Elvington airfield. Hammond was driving a dragster at a speed of 288mph when it spun out of control. Doctors stated that he had suffered a significant brain injury as a result of the accident. Hammond was attempting to break the British land speed record with the jet-propelled vehicle. He remained in a coma for two weeks.
In 2019, Flintoff became a presenter on the popular car show Top Gear, which airs on BBC One. He joined alongside McGuinness and Harris. The latest series of the show was well-received, with an average of 4.5 million viewers tuning in
The BBC has stated that they are still fully supporting Freddie, Chris, and Paddy, who have played a significant role in the show's revival since 2019. They are also enthusiastic about working on new projects with each of them. More information regarding this will be revealed soon.
We understand that the news of the show being put on hold will be disappointing for fans, but we believe it is the appropriate decision to make.
No other aspects of Top Gear are impacted by this temporary pause, including international versions, digital content, magazines, and licensing.
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