One of the world’s biggest television shows, Top Gear, has been put out to pasture for the foreseeable future following an accident that injured presenter Andrew “Freddie” Flintoff last year.
“We’ve agreed with BBC Content that given the exceptional circumstances, we will be resting production of the Top Gear UK show for the foreseeable future,” the BBC stated.
“We know resting the show will be disappointing news for fans, but it is the right thing to do.”
Filming of series 34 was halted in December 2022 after an incident involving a three-wheeled vehicle hospitalised Flintoff. We understand that the presenter is still recovering from his injuries.
He was also compensated a reported £9 million ($NZ18.7 million) by the BBC recently.
Following the crash, BBC Studios conducted an independent health and safety review of the show which found that although it had taken all necessary safety precautions possible, “there were important learnings” to be made if it were to ever hit the screen again.
However, the BBC offered a glimmer of hope by saying that it “remains committed to Freddie, Chris [Harris], and Paddy [McGuinness] who have been at the heart of the show’s renaissance since 2019” and is “excited about new projects being developed with each of them.”
So while it may not be goodbye forever, it’s still a sad day to wave away a programme that inspired a generation of car enthusiasts and entertained the masses.