BBC confirms Top Gear will not return for the 'foreseeable future' following Andrew Flintoff's crash

The BBC has announced that 'Top Gear' has been cancelled in the wake of presenter Andrew 'Freddie' Flintoff's horror car crash in December 2022.

'Top Gear' will not return for the "foreseeable future", the BBC has confirmed.

The future of the motoring show was thrown into doubt after co-host Andrew 'Freddie' Flintoff was left seriously injured whilst filming a stunt for the series in December 2022.

Now the fate of 'Top Gear' - which is also hosted by Paddy McGuinness and Chris Harris - has been confirmed.

In a statement, the BBC said: "Given the exceptional circumstances, the BBC has decided to rest the UK show for the foreseeable future.

“The BBC remains committed to Freddie, Chris and Paddy who have been at the heart of the show’s renaissance since 2019, and we’re excited about new projects being developed with each of them.

“We will have more to say in the near future on this. We know resting the show will be disappointing news for fans, but it is the right thing to do.

“All other 'Top Gear' activity remains unaffected by this hiatus including international formats, digital, magazines and licensing.”

The UK show is currently sold to more 150 territories and there are 11 local format versions including in France, America and Finland.

The news comes after the retired England cricketer reached a settlement with the BBC of an estimated £9 million over the accident.

Freddie, 45, had been driving at 124mph at the 'Top Gear' test track at Dunsfold Aerodrome in Surrey, South East England, and left the sports star with several broken ribs and severe facial injuries. The scars and damage to his face were visible when he took part in a training session with the England cricket team in the summer.

Following the horror crash, the BBC stated that continuing production on 'Top Gear' would be "inappropriate" and a full health and safety review would be carried out.

Flintoff - who is married to Rachael Wools, with whom he has four children - was recently named head coach of the Northern Superchargers men's Hundred franchise, which was launched in England in 2021. He will take on the role in 2024.