Freddie Flintoff’s future on a second BBC programme has apparently been ‘confirmed’ while he recovers from a horrific car accident.
Flintoff, 45, was evacuated to hospital on December 13 after being involved in an accident while filming for Top Gear at the test track at Dunsfold Aerodrome in Surrey.
He was said to be ‘fortunate to be alive’ at the time.
According to reports, the ‘daredevil’ is ‘quitting the programme,’ and the BBC has stated Flintoff’s rehabilitation takes precedence for filming.
A second unidentified show, which has been compared to The Repair Show and would see car owners bring in their vehicles to be fixed by Flintoff and his staff, is also thought to be on hold.
A source revealed: ‘It was hoped that the restoration show might have been an easy way back into making television for Freddie, who’s clearly been shaken up by the accident.’
The insider continued to The Sun: ‘And the fact that he could have been making it this spring meant there was a chance we could see him back on our screens by the end of the year.
‘But it’s not a good sign that the filming has been called off at such a relatively late stage, and viewers will be gutted that such a popular star has been off air for so long.’
This follows news that Flintoff’s Field of Dreams is also on hold.
Flintoff teaches working-class kids from his birthplace of Preston how to play cricket in the docuseries, which aired on Line of Duty last year.
The BBC commissioned a four-part follow-up immediately after the show premiered, but an insider says the second season is ‘unlikely to film any time soon.’
Flintoff co-hosts Top Gear with Chris Harris and Paddy McGuinness from Take Me Out, and the trio was recording a segment on the show’s test track at Dunsfold Aerodrome in December when Flintoff’s car overturned, leaving him with face injuries and fractured ribs.
Following an internal investigation into the accident, the national broadcaster announced in March that it would be ‘inappropriate to resume making series 34 of Top Gear at this time’.
Charlotte Moore, chief content officer, subsequently stated that the focus is on his recuperation rather than hurrying to get the show back on the air.
‘My priority at the moment is supporting Freddie through his recovery so I think it would be really inappropriate for us to resume filming now,’ she said at a Broadcasting Press Guild event last month.
‘I think when we get to the point where he feels ready … and we’ll get to thinking about getting him back.’
She added: ‘I think we’ve got to talk about what Freddie wants to do. When someone’s in recovery, I don’t think we would push that … I think that would be really inappropriate, I wouldn’t be happy.’
Moore also said that ‘you’ve got to be really human about this and do the right thing’.
Top Gear is streaming on BBC iPlayer.
