Top Gear to return after Flintoff crash, BBC confirms
Developing story first seen 3 hours ago
The BBC has newly confirmed that Top Gear will return to television, four years after it was taken off air following Andrew Flintoff’s serious crash during filming. No presenter line-up or broadcast date has been announced, but the decision revives one of the BBC’s most prominent motoring programmes after a hiatus dominated by safety concerns and legal repercussions.
The programme was rested in 2022 after Flintoff’s open-topped Morgan Super 3 overturned at the test track, leaving him with serious facial and rib injuries; the BBC later apologised and paid compensation. Entertainment director Ed Havard said further details would follow, while declining to confirm reports linking Jimmy Carr and Joe Marler to hosting roles. Passenger and racing adviser Paul Rees is separately suing BBC Studios for up to £150,000 over personal injury, a claim the company disputes.
- BBC confirms Top Gear will return after a four-year break
- Hosts and return date have not been announced
- Flintoff crash and related legal claim remain significant context
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Top Gear is a long-running BBC motoring programme in which presenters review cars, take on driving challenges and travel to different locations. It began in its modern format in 2002 and became one of the broadcaster’s best-known entertainment shows, with versions made for audiences in other countries.
Andrew Flintoff, the former England cricketer, joined the presenting team in 2019 alongside Paddy McGuinness and Chris Harris. Filming was halted after he was seriously injured in a crash at a test track in 2022, prompting questions about how the programme managed risks during stunts and driving sequences.
The BBC later reached a compensation settlement with Flintoff and said it had learned from the incident. Any revival will need to address practical issues including its presenters, format and safety arrangements, as well as ongoing legal claims connected to the crash.
Full account
The BBC has confirmed that Top Gear will return, four years after the motoring programme was taken off air following Andrew ‘Freddie’ Flintoff’s serious crash during filming. Ed Havard, the corporation’s director of entertainment, announced the decision at the Edinburgh TV Festival, saying further details would follow.
The series was paused after Flintoff was injured in December 2022 while driving an open-topped Morgan Super 3 at the show’s test track. He had presented the programme alongside Paddy McGuinness and Chris Harris. The BBC later apologised to Flintoff and compensated him; he has since spoken publicly about the physical and psychological impact of the accident.
No new presenters have been confirmed. Havard declined to discuss possible on-screen talent, although he said comedian Jimmy Carr would make “a great host” when asked about reports linking him to the revived programme. Other press reports have also named former rugby player Joe Marler as a possible contender.
Top Gear began in 1977 but became a major international BBC success in its 2000s incarnation with Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May. Its return will be overseen by BBC Studios. The production company is also defending a personal-injury claim brought by Paul Rees, a racing driver and adviser who was involved in the Flintoff crash.
Where outlets differ
Both reports agree that the BBC has confirmed the programme’s return and that no presenting line-up has been announced. Source 1 concentrates on Havard’s formal announcement, the show’s history, Flintoff’s account of the crash and Paul Rees’s legal claim.
Source 2 adds several reported details not confirmed in the BBC announcement, including that BBC Studios has begun work, that a new series could air next year, and claims about a possible Flintoff settlement and Jimmy Carr’s car collection. It also gives a more detailed description of Flintoff’s injuries and recovery.
Source 2 describes Rees as being ‘The Stig’ and says he was in the vehicle, whereas Source 1 identifies him more cautiously as a racing driver and expert adviser who was in the car. Source 1 says the claim is for up to £150,000; Source 2 says it exceeds £100,000.
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