Andrew Flintoff: Everything we know about Top Gear host's horror crash

The former cricketer was severely injured late last year

·3-min read
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Andrew Flintoff hosting Top Gear S33 in 2022. (BBC)

Andrew Flintoff was badly injured in a crash while filming Top Gear in December 2022.

Since then, production of the BBC car show has been shut down indefinitely and the cricketer turned broadcaster has yet to comment publicly on the incident.

As a result of the crash, Flintoff was airlifted to hospital with injuries that were said to be not life threatening and he was seen in public for the first time in months last week.

Read more: The BBC hits brakes on Top Gear (The Telegraph, 9 min read)

While many details regarding the incident have still not been made public, read on to find out everything about Andrew Flintoff and his crash.

How was Andrew Flintoff injured?

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Paddy McGuinness, Freddie Flintoff, and Chris Harris hosting Top Gear in 2022. (BBC)

Filming at the Top Gear test track in Surrey, Flintoff and another crew member were in a three-wheeled Morgan Super 3 which does not contain airbags.

While filming a scene for the show, the car flipped at high speed, injuring Flintoff and the crew member. Both men were wearing helmets but the crash reportedly left Flintoff with broken ribs and facial injuries with him needing to be airlifted to hospital. The full nature of Flintoff's injuries is still not known.

LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 02: A 2022 Morgan Super 3 is displayed during the Concours of Elegance at Hampton Court Palace on September 02, 2022 in London, England. The Concours of Elegance brings together a selection of the rarest cars from around the world, many of which, have never been seen before in the UK. (Photo by John Keeble/Getty Images)
A 2022 Morgan Super 3 on display at Hampton Court Palace, 2022. (John Keeble/Getty Images)

Flintoff was previously involved in a minor incident when he crashed into a market stall in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, in February 2019.

In September of the same year he crashed again while driving a three-wheel vehicle at a reported speed of 124mph during filming for Top Gear at Elvington Airfield in Yorkshire, but walked away from the incident unharmed.

Former Top Gear host Richard Hammond was also critically injured on the same track while filming a high speed stunt for the show in 2006. He was placed in a medically-induced coma after crashing a jet-powered car at over 300mph.

How is Andrew Flintoff doing?

In April 2023, the Ashes-winning cricketer was glimpsed in public for the first time in months when he was spotted in his car with his face partially covered.

Read more: Freddie Flintoff seen in public for the first time since Top Gear crash

Flintoff's 16-year-old son also told MailOnline: "I'm not too sure what happened but he is lucky to be alive. It was a pretty nasty crash. It is shocking. We are all shocked but just hope he's going to be OK."

The Times also reported that Flintoff was "seriously emotionally and physically affected" by the crash and was not yet ready to return.

It is expected for Flintoff to remain off-air for the remainder of 2023.

What is the future of Top Gear?

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Freddie Flintoff, Paddy McGuinness, and Chris Harris on Top Gear. (BBC)

Since Flintoff's crash, the BBC has been conducting an internal review of the incident with the findings expected to be made public soon.

In March, the BBC apologised to Flintoff over the crash in a statement: "(BBC Studios) have sincerely apologised to Freddie and will continue to support him with his recovery."

Read more: Flintoff to ‘leave Top Gear’ as filming on series 34 halted

The corporation also confirmed that production on season 34 of the motoring show had ceased: "Under the circumstances, we feel it would be inappropriate to resume making series 34 of Top Gear at this time.

The same statement said that there would be a health and safety review of the show.

The filming of Top Gear has still not resumed and is not expected to in the near future.

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