Andrew 'Freddie' Flintoff Hospitalized After 'Top Gear' Car Crash
Top Gear star Andrew "Freddie" Flintoff was hurt in a car crash while filming a new episode of the BBC series. Flintoff, 45, is not believed to have life-threatening injuries, reports BBC News. A spokesperson for the BBC said further information would be released "in due course."
Flintoff was reportedly driving at Dunsford Park Aerodome, the Surrey test track usually used for the show. The accident reportedly did not happen at high speed. He was rushed to a nearby hospital after the accident. Top Gear co-host Chris Harris was also at the track.
"He was driving on the track as normal. He wasn't going at high speeds – it was just an accident that could happen to anyone," a source told The Sun Tuesday. "All the usual health and safety measures were in place for filming too. Freddie was taken to hospital by air ambulance shortly afterward." The source added that production on the series was put on hold.
Flintoff is a former international cricketer who turned to broadcasting after retiring from the sport. He joined Top Gear in October 2018 to host alongside Harris and another former cricketer, Paddy McGuinness. His first episode aired in June 2019 on BBC Two. Since the trio quickly became popular with fans, the show moved up to BBC One in 2020.
This was not Flintoff's first Top Gear accident. In February 2019, he was racing around Mansfield town center when he crashed through a safety barrier. In September 2019, he was driving a three-wheeled cycle car at 124 mph when the vehicle crashed. He could not slow down the vehicle after he crossed the finish line. Flintoff miraculously walked away from the crash without injury. Sources later told The Sun that Flintoff and his co-stars were originally supposed to race along a one-mile track, but they extended the race to get to higher speeds.
"I go to great lengths to make sure I do well in Top Gear drag races but, on this occasion, I went a few lengths too far," Flintoff said after the September 2019 crash. "It will look more ridiculous than dangerous when you see it on TV." Flintoff has not posted about his latest accident on Instagram.
The original version of Top Gear aired in 1977, but the current take on the series launched in 2002 with Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and Jason Dawe as hosts. Dawe left after just one season, and James May came in during Season 2. Clarkson, Hammond, and May hosted every season of the show until the BBC chose not to renew the controversial Clarkson's contract in 2015. After struggling to regain its footing, the trio of Harris, Flintoff, and McGuinness have revived interest in the show. Their three latest seasons are available to stream on HBO Max in the U.S.