Top Gear is set to be axed after Freddie Flintoff was seriously injured in a horror 200km/h crash, The Sun reports.
The 45-year-old former England cricket captain Flintoff was rushed to hospital after the high-speed crash last December.
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He was injured in an accident at the Top Gear test track at Dunsfold Aerodrome in Surrey.
Now, the hit motoring show will be rested for the “foreseeable future”, the BBC has announced.
In a statement given to the PA news agency, the BBC said: “Given the exceptional circumstances, the BBC has decided to rest the UK show for the foreseeable future.
“The BBC remains 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.”
Top Gear UK has run for 33 seasons with 240 episodes.
Filming for the show Flintoff co-presents with Paddy McGuinness and automotive journalist Chris Harris was halted since the crash 11 months ago.
Harris has been on the show since 2016, while Flintoff and McGuinness both joined in 2022.
Following the crash, the BBC announced at the time that continuing filming would be “inappropriate”, adding there would be a health and safety review.
Flintoff also came to an enormous £9 million ($A17.35 million) settlement with the BBC over the crash.
The brave star’s facial injuries were visible while he helped out the England cricket team in training this summer.
Freddie has since landed a new role almost a year on from surviving the horror crash.
The England cricket legend has been named head coach of the Northern Superchargers men’s Hundred franchise.
Flintoff will join England Lions coaching staff for next month’s training camp in the United Arab Emirates.
Meanwhile, The Superchargers are one of eight teams competing in The Hundred, a franchise tournament launched in 2021.
They opted against renewing James Foster’s contract, with Flintoff set to succeed him as the new men’s head coach in 2024.
This story first appeared in The Sun and was republished with permission.
