Top Gear presenter Freddie Flintoff voiced his concerns about safety during filming on the same day as he was injured in a 130mph crash, The Sun newspaper reports.
Former England cricketer Flintoff was badly injured in December 2022 when his open-topped Morgan Super 3 car crashed while filming a segment for the longrunning BBC car show.
The Sun quotes an insider reporting:
“Freddie voiced his worries about the safety of the stunt on set on the day of the accident.
“He questioned whether or not it was OK, given the vehicle and conditions on the track.
“He was apprehensive before he got behind the wheel and production staff at the track were aware of this.”
Filming was suspended on the 34th series of the show following the accident, and Flintoff has only recently been seen in public, with his facial injuries still visible. He also broke several ribs.
The future of the show, which has been running for more than 40 years, remains uncertain while a health and safety review of the series continues.
Last week, The Mail on Sunday newspaper reported that the hit show’s production team has been dismantled.
This follows the departure of two key senior creatives from the team – editorial director Clare Pizey and development producer Chris Payne.
One of the BBC’s most successful ever shows both at home and abroad, Top Gear has gone through many incarnations since its debut in 1977. Its most popular chapter came with hosts Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond. This came to an end in 2015 after Clarkson’s departure due to an altercation with a producer behind the scenes – the trio later signed lucrative contracts with Amazon Video to host The Grand Tour, which has become one of the streamer’s biggest shows as well.
