Top Gear: Freddie Flintoff makes rare public appearance after crash as show's return is left in doubt

Andrew Flintoff has made a rare public appearance nine months after he was badly injured in a crash while filming an episode of Top Gear in December 2022.

The former professional cricket player was seen watching England face New Zealand at Cardiff’s Sophia Gardens on Friday, 8 September. He had visible scarring on his face from the accident, particularly around his nose and mouth

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

After the crash, Flintoff was airlifted to hospital with injuries that were said to be not life-threatening, and he has kept a low profile since.

Following the incident, production of the series has been shut down indefinitely and the cricketer turned broadcaster has yet to comment publicly on the incident.

The future of the hit BBC car show Top Gear once again finds itself idling in uncertainty after a range of dramas that have played out both on-screen and off.

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?

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.

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 seen in public for the first time in months when he was spotted in his car with his face partially covered.

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?

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."

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. Meanwhile, the exact extent of Flintoff's involvement in the show's future has yet to be confirmed, with many outlets claiming that the cricket star has quit the series.

Elsewhere, the departure of the show's long-time Editorial Director, Clare Pizey, in August 2023 has cast more uncertainty on the series' future. Pizey had been with the show for seven years steering it through day-to-day responsibilities and later transitioning from Executive Producer to Editorial Director.

"With co-executive producer Alex Renton, Clare reinvented and re-energised the motoring entertainment show with the introduction of Paddy [McGuinness], Freddie and Chris [Harris] – and she oversaw Top Gear’s hugely successful move to BBC One in 2020," read a statement from the BBC.

“We wish her the very best of luck with her next adventure.”

The departure comes just months following Flintoff's crash.

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