Andrew “Freddie” Flintoff , former England cricketer and one of the hosts of popular BBC television show ‘Top Gear’, has reached an agreement regarding compensation for his dramatic crash during the filming of the show on 13 December 2022.
Flintoff received immediate medical care at the scene of the crash that happened at Top Gear’s test track at Dunsfold Park Aerodrome in Surrey. Where he was then sent to hospital to receive further treatment for the “life-altering significant” injuries he sustained from the incident.
It was agreed by the BBC and Flintoff ’s legal team that a settlement of £9m would be sufficient compensation for the two years of work the ex-England cricketer missed as a result of his accident. A statement from the BBC read, “BBC studios has reached an agreement with Freddie that we believe supports his continued rehabilitation, return to work and future plans...We have sincerely apologised to Freddie and will continue to support him with his recovery.”
BBC studios is a commercial arm of the broadcaster and so will not use BBC License Fee income for payment of the settlement.
With both internal and external investigations ongoing it is likely that there will be no return for the series and there are reports that the show will be axed following this detrimental health and safety issue.
Flintoff was pictured for the first time since the accident in September in Cardiff , where he led fielding drills for the England cricket side. Almost a year on from the incident his facial injuries were still visible in this rare public appearance.
In early October he was filmed awarding an England cap to bowler Tom Hartley in which he also spoke publicly about the incident, expressing it to be “the hardest” time of his life.
He joined BBC One’s show in 2019 alongside presenter Paddy McGuinness and motoring journalist Chris Harris. Their series captivated an audience of 4.5 million people on average.