BBC has hit the brakes on its long-running auto show “Top Gear” for an indefinite amount of time. The decision may come to car enthusiasts’ dismay, but, the British broadcaster said, “it is the right thing to do.”
In a statement shared during a Tuesday morning broadcast, the British Broadcasting Corp. said it will “rest” the show “for the foreseeable future” due to “exceptional circumstances.” The U.K. broadcaster has been home to the “Top Gear” revival since October 2002, and the hiatus news comes a month after it reached an “agreement” with host Andrew “Freddie” Flintoff regarding a crash at the program’s test track in December 2022.
Flintoff’s settlement with BBC in October was reportedly worth $11.3 million.
The cricket star, one in the trio of newest “Top Gear” hosts, was hospitalized on Dec. 13, 2022, with not life-threatening injuries after a “high-speed” car crash while filming at the Dunsfold Aerodrome test track, the Guardian reported. After the crash, which happened in Surrey, England, BBC Studios conducted an investigation into the accident and decided to halt filming on Season 34 in March. In a statement shared with Variety that month, BBC said it will conduct a “health and safety review of the show, in line with our procedures.”
The Times of London also reported in March that Flintoff, 45, had quit “Top Gear” after the crash.
