Andrew “Freddie” Flintoff’s was delighted to join the BBC Top Gear team in 2018.
As details were announced, Flintoff said: “It’s not often you get the chance to do both of your dream jobs, but I’m now lucky enough to be able to say I will have them.” “I already have always passionate about cars and really excited to be joining the Top Gear team.”
The father-of-four starred in many episodes alongside co-hosts Paddy McGuinness and Chris Harris, but a serious accident turned his “dream job” into a nightmare.
But an accident in which he suffered severe facial injuries and several broken ribs led him to abandon the role that brought him so much joy and passion.
This week it was reported that the former cricket coach appears to have negotiated a £9 million settlement with the BBC for two years of lost earnings.
However, insiders familiar with the agreement claim that he gave up a “potentially larger payout” as he and the BBC “agreed to reach a deal privately and with as little hostility as possible,” The Sun reported .
The BBC said this money would not be funded by the television license fee as BBC Studios is a commercial arm of the broadcaster.
Here, Web takes a look at Freddie Flintoff’s challenging recovery from Top Gear’s horrific crash and his next steps as he makes a relaxed return to our screens.
This week it was reported that the former cricketer was said to have negotiated a £9 million settlement with the company for two years of lost earnings
Andrew ‘Freddie’ Flintoff and his wife Rachael Wools Stars leaving the Punch Bowl pub, Mayfair, London in 2009
Andrew “Freddie” Flintoff, Paddy McGuinness and Chris Harris with a Porsche 911 GT2 RS and an Aston Martin DBS Superleggera at Billingsgate Market, London
The crash
On December 13, 2022, Flintoff went to the Dunsfold Park Aerodrome track where the accident occurred.
It was reported that Flintoff’s car overturned as he rounded the corner at 35km/h in icy conditions, insiders told the Mail on Sunday.
It was said that the car enthusiast was not wearing a helmet when he hit the first corner of the Morgan Super 3 vehicle, which can reach speeds of 130 miles per hour, while filming an episode.
The accident with the three-wheeled open car left him with severe facial injuries and several broken ribs.
The presenter scratched his face and witnesses said what they saw was so distressing that some members of the Top Gear team needed counseling, the MoS reported.
It later emerged that the £43,000 British hand-built Morgan Super 3 vehicle, described as a “motorized tricycle”, had no airbags.
Road accident: Andrew “Freddie” Flintoff’s horror crash sports car wasn’t equipped with airbags, it turns out
The TV presenter, seen here on a motorized tricycle while filming a previous series of the show, is said to be “determined” to return to screens at some point
Immediately after the crash, Flintoff had to wait an “agonizing” 45 minutes for the rescue helicopter to arrive and take him to hospital. The BBC later apologized to the presenter.
“People are talking about this ‘high-speed accident’ but although the consequences were terrible, it was nothing like that,” a source told the MoS.
“The car was actually traveling at 35 km/h when it overturned.” There is a lot of footage and it has been carefully examined.
“They had just set off and were in the first corner when the car rolled over and he dragged his face on the asphalt.”
The source also claimed that the BBC spoke to Morgan, who said there was nothing wrong with the car.
Drivers of the vehicle are not required to wear a helmet as the car has a halo safety device, according to the source.
Halo safety devices are curved bars that are attached to the car to protect the driver’s head in the event of an accident.
The consequences
Flintoff made the decision to leave the show following the accident, and several Top Gear employees were placed on indefinite sick leave due to post-traumatic stress disorder.
An insider told The Times in March: “Freddie has been severely affected emotionally and physically by the accident.” “He’s a go-getter, that’s what he does, and he doesn’t feel like he can continue that role in the series can play.”
When Freddie first spoke about the accident in early October, he described the last few months as the “toughest of his life.”
In early September, Flintoff was seen in public for the first time since the accident when he spent time with the England under-19 team in Wales.
Flintoff’s injuries were still visible nine months after the accident, resulting in broken ribs and facial bones
Flintoff practices some cricket moves on the field while working with the England team at the 1st Metro Bank One Day International
The star, who stopped to speak to people, made a quiet re-introduction to cricket this summer in association with the England team
It was the first time fans saw the extent of Flintoff’s facial injuries. They rushed to social media to post that they were relieved to see him out and about again
He wore an England cricket bucket hat and matching T-shirt and put on sunglasses.
It was the first time fans saw the extent of Flintoff’s facial injuries. They rushed to social media to post that they were relieved to see him out and about again.
One user took to
Another wrote: “Shocking to see the pictures of the great Freddie Flintoff.” I wish him all the best and a speedy recovery. One of Preston’s best sons. God bless you, Fred.’
A third commented: “How lovely to see Freddie Flintoff again and working with the England cricket team – it’s great that he’s healthy and happy enough to do this and hopefully he’ll get a lot out of it.” I love this man .’
After Flintoff’s horrific accident, his wife of 18 years, Rachael, was told to prepare for the worst.
When she heard about the accident, she rushed from the family home in Cheshire to Surrey to be by his side. She was told to expect the worst as paramedics tried to help him.
It was reported that Racheal, 42, “begged” her husband to stay away from work and take time to recover from his injuries.
This may have influenced his decision to return to the relatively gentle world of cricket, in contrast to the increasingly daring lifestyle he led before his fall from grace.
After the incident, his 16-year-old son Corey told Web: “He’s fine.” I’m not entirely sure what happened but he’s lucky to be alive.
“It was a pretty bad accident. It is shocking. “We’re all shocked but we just hope he’s okay.”
Filming for the remainder of season 34 was canceled as the BBC said it would carry out a health and safety review.
What’s next for Freddie?
Flintoff is preparing to return to television to film a second series of Field of Dreams, the 2022 BBC documentary series in which he introduced children to cricket in his hometown of Preston.
The Sun reports that Flintoff may also host another car show – Chasing Cars, which has been described as “The Repair Shop” but for petrolheads.
But the father-of-four is apparently preparing a return to the big screen as the one-year anniversary of the crash approaches, which saw him retreat from the public eye for months.
The end of Top Gear?
The BBC has reportedly “axed” Top Gear after 46 years on screen.
Insiders told The Sun that almost ten months later, production staff have now been asked to look for other work, likely signaling the end of the auto show.
At least one member of Top Gear’s production team is reportedly considering legal action against the BBC over loss of earnings.
Responding to reports that the show has already been axed, a BBC spokesperson told Web: “A decision on the timing of future Top Gear shows will be made with BBC Content in due course.”
As the curtain appears to be closing on the long-running TV show, Web takes a look back at some of Top Gear’s biggest moments.
Hammond was in a coma for two weeks after crashing a jet-powered Vampire dragster at a Yorkshire airfield at 288mph when a tire burst
Then trio Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond hit the screens before Clarkson was convicted in 2015 of punching a producer during an argument at a hot dinner
Flintoff wasn’t the first to have a serious accident on Top Gear, as former presenter Richmond Hammond came close to death during his time on the show.
Hammond was in a coma for two weeks after crashing a jet-powered Vampire dragster at a Yorkshire airfield at 288mph when a tire burst.
Then, in 2017, his electric supercar veered off a Swiss mountain road while filming Amazon’s “The Grand Tour.” Richard woke up to find he was still strapped in upside down when the £2 million engine caught fire. The accident was so bad that Jeremy and James believed he had died.
Journalist and current Strictly Come Dancing contestant Angela Rippon was the first presenter of Top Gear in 1977.
Then trio Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond hit the screens before Clarkson was convicted in 2015 of punching a producer during an argument at a hot dinner.
Hammond and May both left the show with Clarkson and all starred in the Amazon series The Grand Tour.