Flintoff has been part of the Top Gear presenter line-up with Paddy McGuinness and Chris Harris since 2019. Image: David Parry/ PA WIRE via Flickr.
A question mark now lingers over the future of former cricketer-turned-presenter Andrew Flintoff following his accident while filming an episode of the 34th season of Top Gear last year.
Last week, the British broadcaster announced that a decision had been made to scrap the new series entirely after the accident at the Dunsfold Aerodrome in December landed the 45-year-old cricketing sensation in hospital.
Although it refused to comment on the exact nature of the crash, reportedly witnessed by co-presenter Chris Harris, a number of publications in the United Kingdom have provided more apparent clarity on the incident the BBC has subsequently apologised for.
According to The Independent and The Mirror, Flintoff had been piloting a version of the Morgan Three-Wheeler, the Super 3, which somehow went out of control before rolling and then skidding down the runaway of the former WW II base that has housed Top Gear ever since the series’ modern-day revival in 2002.
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While the broadcaster confirmed that Flintoff had been taking to hospital, his injuries were described as “not life-threatening” and that paramedics were quickly on the scene to attend to him.
Confirming that Flintoff had been in the car with somebody else, more than likely a member of the film crew, an unnamed source told The Mirror, “it was a freak accident and somehow the car flipped over and the two men were dragged along.
“Everyone on the scene was shocked by how serious it was and they were very worried about the two men strapped in,” the source said.
Another source remarked to The Independent that while Flintoff has been known as a daredevil since hanging-up his bats and gloves at the end of 2010, the accident has left him “seriously emotionally and physically affected”.
In a related a related article this past week, the publication went so far as to claim that Flintoff had quit the show four years after joining Harris and comedian Paddy McGuinness as host, despite nothing been confirmed by him or any of his management team.
“We understand this [halting the show] will be disappointing for fans, but it is the right thing to do, and we’ll make a judgement about how best to continue later this year,” the BBC’s statement read.
No further comments by the broadcaster or by Flintoff’s co-presenters on his condition or the future of the show has so far emerged.
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