A BBC Studios spokesperson says it has "sincerely apologised to Freddie" who was seriously injured in the crash while filming for the TV series; the former England cricket star joined the one-day coaching staff in an unpaid consultancy role in September
Saturday 14 October 2023 09:07, UK
Andrew Flintoff has agreed a financial settlement with the BBC worth a reported £9m after being involved in a crash when filming the TV show Top Gear.
The former England and Lancashire cricket star was seriously injured in the crash last December during filming for the motoring show at its test track at Dunsfold Aerodrome.
The 45-year-old was left with broken ribs and severe facial injuries, prompting the rest of the series to be cancelled and reports the show will be scrapped.
A BBC Studios spokesperson said: "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 company which does not use BBC Licence Fee income.
After the incident, Flintoff's son Corey reportedly said his father was "lucky to be alive" and described it as a "pretty nasty crash".
The former England captain's facial injuries were still visible when he began helping coach the England team in an unpaid consultancy role in September.
Earlier this month, he was filmed awarding an England cap to bowler Tom Hartley and spoke publicly for the first time about the incident, calling it "the hardest" time of his life.
The BBC said in March that it would be inappropriate to resume making the Top Gear series following an internal investigation into what happened.
It is understood that the decisions on future episodes of the show will be made "in due course". Flintoff and Paddy McGuinness joined motoring journalist Chris Harris as hosts of Top Gear in 2019.
