Freddie Flintoff: Fresh update on Top Gear star’s future amid plans for new BBC motoring show

It comes after the former England cricketer, 45, was airlifted to hospital with facial injuries and broken ribs after a collision at the Dunsfold Aerodrome in Surrey last December while filming the car show which left him “lucky to be alive” and "seriously emotionally and physically affected". Reports have since emerged that he is ‘quitting the show’, and will be off air until next year, while the BBC has confirmed his recovery is a priority over filming. The BBC had already shared that production will not continue on the newest series of Top Gear amid an investigation into the accident.

However, now it's also believed that another BBC series with Flintoff has been paused following the incident, according to the Mail Online. A second unnamed programme, which has been likened to The Repair Shop and would see vehicle owners bringing in their motors to be repaired by Flintoff and his team, is now also said to be paused.

A source told the Daily Mail that it was hoped that the restoration show might have been an easy way back into making television for Freddie, who's “clearly been shaken up by the accident”. They said: “The fact that he could have been making it this spring meant there was a chance we could see him back on our screens by the end of the year, but it's not a good sign that the filming has been called off at such a relatively late stage, and viewers will be gutted that such a popular star has been off air for so long.”

In March 2023, the BBC shared a statement apologising to Flintoff following the incident. It read: "BBC Studios have sincerely apologised to Freddie and will continue to support him with his recovery. Under the circumstances, we feel it would be inappropriate to resume making series 34 of Top Gear at this time. We understand this will be disappointing for fans, but it is the right thing to do, and we’ll make a judgment about how best to continue later this year.”

The Post has contacted Freddie’s representatives for comment.