Has the BBC axed Top Gear? What happened to Freddie Flintoff in Top Gear crash, what has the BBC said?

The BBC has denied reports that Top Gear will be axed after presenter and former cricketer Andrew "Freddie" Flintoff was injured in a crash whilst filming last year.

Filming for Top Gear series 34 was stopped after the accident, with the BBC saying in March that it would be inappropriate to resume making the show at that time following an internal investigation into what happened.

There has been speculation that the show will not be renewed after The Sun reported production staff had been told to look for other work. The motor programme has been a fixture of the BBC since 1977.

So, has the BBC axed Top Gear? Here's everything you need to know.

Top Gear - has the BBC axed it?

The Sun reported on Friday that production staff had been told by the BBC to look for other work following the accident at the Top Gear test track Dunsfold Aerodrome last December.

Speaking to PA news agency, a BBC spokesperson shed light on whether a decision on the show's future had been made. They said: “A decision on the timing of future Top Gear shows will be made in due course with BBC Content.”

Freddie Flintoff - what happened in Top Gear crash?

Former England captain Flintoff, 45, started filming as a Top Gear presenter in 2019. In December last year he was involved in a crash while filming. The accident took place on December 13, 2022 at the Dunsfold Park aerodrome in Surrey.

Flintoff had been driving an open-topped, three-wheel Morgan Super 5 at 130mph when the vehicle flipped. The presenter was airlifted to hospital and suffered multiple facial injuries and broken ribs, with his son Corey stating at the time he was “lucky to be alive”, describing it as a “pretty nasty crash”.

Flintoff was filmed on Wednesday (October 4) speaking publicly for the first time since the crash in a clip shared by England Cricket on social media. In the video, where he awarded an England cap to spin bowler Tom Hartley, Flintoff said: “It gives me so much pleasure to share what is going to be a day Tom that you’re going to remember for the rest of your life.”

He also spoke about the accident, adding: “They’ll (England Cricket team) share the good times with you, the successes. But as I found over the past few months, they’ll be there in the hardest times of your life, they will stand next to you.”