Freddie Flintoff’s ‘£9m’ settlement: BBC apologises to cricket legend who ‘negotiated payment for two years’ loss of earnings’ after suffering ‘life-altering’ injuries in Top Gear horror crash
The BBC has apologised to Andrew ‘Freddie’ Flintoff and agreed pay him a reported £9million after a horrific crash on Top Gear put him out of action for months.
The former England cricket captain, 45, is understood to have negotiated a settlement for two years’ loss of earnings. Both Mr Flintoff and the BBC are reportedly ‘satisfied’ with the agreement.
Insiders allege the crash last year let the cricket star with ‘life-altering’ injuries that may have forced him to ‘turn down other work’ or ‘not be offered it in the first place’, The Sun reported. They also claim he was left ‘utterly traumatised’ and ‘shell-shocked’ by the incident.
Mr Flintoff appeared with facial injuries in public for the first time in September, nine months after he was taken to hospital after he was hurt while filming the BBC motoring show at its test track at Dunsfold Aerodrome last December.
He is reportedly preparing to return to TV to make a second series of Field of Dreams, the 2022 BBC documentary series that saw him introducing children in his home city of Preston to cricket.
The BBC has reached ‘an agreement’ with Andrew ‘Freddie’ Flintoff (pictured) after he was involved in a crash while filming Top Gear
Flintoff was recruited as one of the new presenters on Top Gear after it was rebooted for a third successive time since the departure of mainstay presenters Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May
Flintoff, 45, was driving a Morgan Three-Wheeler open-top sports car when it overturned during filming at Dunsfold near Guildford in Surrey
Flintoff has had other accidents on Top Gear – flying off of a runway on a high-speed motorised trike (above) in September 2019, from which he emerged unscathed
It is understood that the settlement saw Mr Flintoff choose not to sue the corporation and waive a ‘potentially bigger payout’, according to The Sun.
The father-of-four, who is still recovering from his ‘life-alteringly significant’ injuries, and the BBC are reportedly excited to continue working with each other on future projects.
Sources familiar with the agreement told the newspaper that the parties ‘agreed to settle privately, with as little animosity as possible’.
But added that Mr Flintoff is still battling with the impacts of the crash.
‘You cannot underestimate the physical and mental toll this crash had on him,’ the insider claimed.
‘Fred is still very much on the road to recovery, however, and at the moment is purely focused on this, his England cricket coaching, and being with his family. For Fred, it’s never been about the money.’
Freddie Flintoff broke cover last month for the first time since the horrific crash in December last year, bearing facial scars
Flintoff, 45, is said to be considering filming a second series of Field of Dreams, the BBC series that saw him introducing children in his hometown of Preston to cricket in 2022
Filming was suspended on the most recent series of Top Gear after the crash (pictured: Flintoff with co-presenters Chris Harris, left, and Paddy McGuinness, right)
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.’
The BBC said in March that it would be inappropriate to resume making the series at that time following an internal investigation into what happened.
It is understood that the decisions on future episodes of Top Gear will be made ‘in due course in conjunction with BBC Content’.
Meanwhile, Mr Flintoff is plotting his TV comeback next year with a second series of Field of Dreams.
The Sun reported yesterday that Mr Flintoff may also front another motoring show – Chasing Cars, which has been described as The Repair Shop but for petrolheads.
But he is said to be pacing himself ahead of a return to screens as the one-year anniversary of the crash that saw him retreat from the public eye for months looms.
Mr Flintoff was driving a Morgan Super 3 – a lightweight ‘trackday’ sports car with two wheels at the front and one at the back – at the Dunsfold test track near Guildford, Surrey last December when it overturned.
The open-top car has no airbags, and the cricketer was not wearing a helmet when the car flipped at around 22mph – meaning he ‘scraped’ his face along the tarmac in horrific scenes witnessed by the TV production crew.
Reports also suggest that Mr Flintoff may also choose to be interviewed about the physical and psychological issues associated the crash.
He has bravely shared details of his struggles with an eating disorder – both in an interview on Piers Morgan’s Life Stories and in BBC documentary Freddie Flintoff: Living With Bulimia.
A TV insider told The Sun yesterday: ‘His return to the limelight is something both telly execs and the public have been longing for and thankfully he now seems ready to return to doing what he loves.
‘He just needs to get past the one year anniversary of the crash, then he can focus on the next chapter of his career.’
The incident had echoes of Richard Hammond’s terrifying 300mph dragster crash in 2006, which left the ex-Top Gear presenter in a coma for two weeks
Mr Flintoff reportedly required a number of surgeries following the crash, suffering broken ribs and facial bones after being dragged along the road.
Several members of staff who witnessed it were signed off sick, having reportedly been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder – a claim the BBC has denied.
READ MORE: Revealed: Freddie Flintoff’s wife was told to expect the worst after Top Gear horror crash as surgeons battled to put England cricketer back together
He retreated from the limelight at the behest of his family in order to recover, breaking cover for the first time last month to coach England cricketers.
An investigation mounted in the aftermath of Mr Flintoff’s crash found the BBC had no case to answer, while Morgan – a British marque based in Worcestershire – has said there was nothing wrong with the car.
The Super 3, as it is named, is capable of hitting 62mph in seven seconds and a top speed of 130mph.
Morgan says of the car on its website: ‘With every drive, your senses are heightened as you are forced to remain present and focussed.’
A source told the Mail on Sunday earlier this month: ‘Freddie was not wearing a helmet but the situation is that he did not have to wear one.
‘The car is road legal without a helmet – it has a halo safety device – and he was on a private track.
‘They had only just set off and were on the first corner when the car flipped and he scraped his face along the tarmac.’
Filming for the remainder of the newest series of Top Gear – which stars Mr Flintoff alongside Paddy McGuinness and motoring journalist Chris Harris – was canned following the December 13 incident.
Clarkson, Hammond and May (left-right) left Top Gear in 2015 after Clarkson punched a producer
Top Gear underwent its third successive reboot in a handful of years after Matt LeBlanc and Chris Evans joined the show in 2016 (left), with Chris Harris and Rory Reid being promoted to co-hosts after Evans left after one series (right)
It isn’t even the first incident Mr Flintoff has had filming on Top Gear – running out of runway as he drove a motorised trike known as a Time Bandit that is capable of more than 120mph.
In that accident, in September 2019, he was wearing a full motorcycle suit and helmet – coming away unhurt.
Mr Flintoff has been fronting the show since 2019 in the third major reworking of the show since the departure of mainstays Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May in 2015 after Clarkson punched a producer.
Radio and TV veteran Chris Evans was recruited to front a renewed Top Gear alongside actor Matt LeBlanc, Harris and journalist Rory Reid.
But Evans left after one series, while Reid and LeBlanc were swapped out for Mr Flintoff and Mr McGuinness four years ago.
The BBC has denied, however, that the show is finished for good following Mr Flintoff’s crash – the second serious incident on Top Gear after Richard Hammond’s 300mph dragster crash in 2006 that left him in a coma for two weeks.
Source: Read Full Article
