★★★★★ 0/5

BBC says “no decision” on Top Gear

Rumours of end of the road for long-running motor show following severe injuries to 'Freddie' Flintoff.

5
Leave a comment

The BBC has denied a UK report which claimed Top Gear had been axed after 46 years.

“A decision on the timing of future Top Gear shows will be made in due course with BBC Content,” a BBC spokesperson said.

Speculation has been rife the show will be discontinued following severe injuries to presenter Andrew ‘Freddie’ Flintoff last December.

Flintoff was taken to hospital by air ambulance after a high-speed crash during filming. He was taking part in a shoot at an aerodrome in Surrey. His son, Corey, said at the time he was “lucky to be alive” and described it as a “pretty nasty crash”.

A decision was made to cancel the 34th series. Since then, executive producer Clare Pizey has also left the show and the BBC itself.

Co-hosts Paddy McGuinness and Chris Harris have not commented publicly on the crash.

Flintoff was seen in public for the first time since the incident last month, when he attended the one-day cricket international between England and New Zealand in Cardiff. He had visible scars on his face and tape on his nose.

Flintoff also crashed in a three-wheeled cycle car accident in 2019, but was able to walk away from the scene.

Former presenter Richard Hammond spent two weeks in a coma in 2006 after crashing at an airfield in York in a jet-powered Vampire dragster.

Top Gear first aired in 1977 when Angela Rippon and Tom Coyne as hosts. Jeremy Clarkson then took over in 1988, leaving 11 years later before returning for a revamped version in 2002 alongside Richard Hammond and Jason Dowe, who was later replaced by James May the following year.

The three left the show in 2015, before Flintoff, McGuinness and Harris took the wheel in 2019.

Top Gear screens in Australia on Stan.

Source: The Guardian, Metro

5 Responses

  1. I don’t think the BBC can afford to axe Top Gear. It’s a cash cow for them and right now they need all the money they can get with the license fee freeze.

    1. That depends on how much it costs to make vs how many people want to watch it now-it’s great days are now many years ago with a different cast.

  2. I thought Top Gear was cancelled 5 years ago after car crash that was hiring Matt La Blanc. It’s just been on Stan all this time. I also thought that The Grand Tour was cancelled after S3, it had what looked like a wrap up montage at the end, but apparently they have still been making specials too.

Leave a Reply