Freddie Flintoff's Devastating Crash Effectively Spells the End of Top Gear

In December last year, word got out that one of the show's three hosts, daredevil Freddie Flintoff, had been injured in a single-car accident. Given the nature of Top Gear and the often insane stunts producers come up for it, an accident on set is not an unheard of occurrence. Neither is a severe accident, as Richard Hammond and even Flintoff himself could attest.

But this one was different. For starters, the BBC never gave specifics, neither of the crash nor of the following internal investigation into its causes. Flintoff went dark, and the only comment the media got was from his son, who admitted his father was "lucky to be alive."

Shooting was underway for series 34 when the accident happened, and production came to a halt. Then, the set at the Dunsfold Aerodrome in Surrey was taken down, and all traces of it removed. The network confirmed the production was on hiatus but refrained from encouraging speculation on a possible return.

That's because there will be no coming back from this. Sources with the BBC tell one British publication that Flintoff's first public appearance last week is a half-confirmation for that. Showing deep scars on the entire half of his face, he made an appearance at an England cricket game, seemingly hinting that he's retiring from TV and will return to the sports that put him on the map. He didn't address the accident or his current relations with the BBC in any way.

The same report claims that the entire production team behind Top Gear has been dismantled, which is more telling for the plans the network has for the show. Episodes from series 34 already completed have been scrapped.

Flintoff hasn't taken any type of legal action against the BBC for what happened on set that December day, though insiders insist that the network failed in him for not providing proper safety measures and, perhaps worse, for not being prepared to respond accordingly in a worst-case situation. If he's not suing, one insider speculates, it's because he’s already been paid for his injuries in what was probably a "multi-million pound" deal.

Like Hammond before him, who still holds the dubious record of the biggest injury on the Top Gear set, perhaps Flintoff will one day talk about his accident.

Until then, we only have unconfirmed glimpses of what was a near-tragedy: Flintoff joking about whether he needed a helmet to drive a Morgan Super 3 at high speed on the icy track, losing control of the car, rolling over, and skidding across the tarmac, with his face down. Flintoff apparently having to lie on the ground for 45 agonizing minutes before he was airlifted to the hospital because there was no stretcher to use on set. Flintoff receiving only basic medical assistance during this time because the team didn't include a specialist.

After the accident, Flintoff spent four hours in surgery and then nine months in lockdown mode as he recovered at home. In a previous statement, which some may interpret as an admission of guilt and of a payoff, the BBC had said that they had apologized to the host and would support him throughout his recovery. All things considered, it was the least they could do.