Freddie Flintoff talks about Top Gear crash on upcoming episode of Field of Dreams

The 46-year-old Andrew “Freddie” Flintoff broke his silence about his near-death experience of the horrific car crash while filming Top Gear.

Flintoff shared that he is “lucky to be alive,” in a trailer for his upcoming show, Field of Dreams.

December 13 – Flintoff crashes car while filming Top Gear episode

On December 13, 2022, Flintoff arrived at the Dunsfold Park Aerodrome track to film an episode of the popular UK production, Top Gear which centres on reviews of motor vehicles.

Driving the British handmade Morgan Super 3 vehicle, Flintoff´s car tipped over as he turned the corner at 22mph in icy conditions; the cameras caught the terrifying crash of the vehicle.

Flintoff had to face an “agonising” 45 minutes of wait for the air ambulance, as he suffered from severe facial injuries and several broken ribs. After the accident, it was discovered that the  €51,049 vehicles didn´t have airbags fitted; at the time of the crash, Flintoff was not wearing a helmet.

Witnesses then reported that what they saw was so traumatising that some of the Top Gear team members needed counselling after the accident. In the trailer for Field of Dreams, which Flintoff shared on his Instagram, he remembered the accident; “Something happened which changed my life forever.”

In the aftermath of the crash, the star of Top Gear kept a low profile, as he was recovering from grave facial scars. In recent months, however, Flintoff has been coming back to the screens, having now become the new head coach of the cricket team, Superchargers; fans have sighed with relief, seeing the improved wellbeing of the player.

Flintoff crash leads to Top Gear being ‘rested’

It has been reported that Flintoff negotiated a  €10 million settlement with the BBC for the two years of lost income. BBC officials meanwhile, stated that it would be  “inappropriate” to carry on filming Top Gear after the incident.

“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.”

The studio also highlighted a new review of the health and safety of the show; “while BBC Studios had complied with the required BBC policies (…) there were important learnings which would need to be rigorously applied to future Top Gear UK productions.”

Flintoff to focus on Field of Dreams after Top Gear crash

In his upcoming show, Flintoff has united a team of non-cricketers to embark on a journey of exploration in India; “We´re all going to find out something about ourselves – me included.” The boys in the team were all from Freddie´s hometown, Preston.

In the trailer, he was seen encouraging the future players; “From what I´ve done in my career. You lads are my greatest achievement. I want to take you on tour. I want to take you to India. I want the boys to learn to be outside their comfort zone. I just hope and pray that all the boys take these opportunities – and they grab it with both hands.”