Top Gear axed for ‘foreseeable future’ following Freddie Flintoff crash

The BBC has cancelled motoring show Top Gear after almost 50 years on TV.

The show originally aired between 1997 and 2001 before being revived just a year later.

Production on the most recent series has been paused since last year after host Freddie Flintoff suffered serious injuries in a car crash during filming.

The future of the show has been in limbo since and now the BBC has confirmed it will return “for the foreseeable future.

In a statement, the BBC said it has “decided to rest the UK show”.

However it said it continued to be “committed to Freddie, Chris and Paddy who have been at the heart of the show’s renaissance since 2019, and we’re excited about new projects being developed with each of them. We will have more to say in the near future on this.

“We know resting the show will be disappointing news for fans, but it is the right thing to do.

“All other Top Gear activity remains unaffected by this hiatus including international formats, digital, magazines and licensing.”

Freddie Flintoff was airlifted to hospital after his crash which took place last December during filming at Dunsfold Park Aerodome for what would have been the 34th series.

Top Gear was originally conceived as a straightforward motoring magazine show. However, it wasn’t until the late 1980s and early 1990s that its format began to evolve into the entertainment powerhouse it became more widely known for.

The turning point came in 2002 when the BBC relaunched Top Gear with a fresh format and a new set of presenters led by Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May

In 2015, the trio left the show, leading to a major reshuffle in the presenter lineup. Since then, a rotating cast of hosts, including Chris Evans, Matt LeBlanc and Chris Harris, have fronted the episodes.

Alongside Freddie, the most recent presenting line up featured Chris Harris and Paddy McGuinness.