The hit motoring show Top Gear is to be put on hold “for the foreseeable future”, the BBC announced on Tuesday.
The news comes after presenter Andrew “Freddie” Flintoff was injured in an on-set accident in December, leading to a production hiatus on the show’s 34th season. Flintoff had been due to present the series from 2019, alongside Paddy McGuinness and Chris Harris.
“Given the exceptional circumstances, the BBC has decided to pause the UK series for the foreseeable future,” the statement read. “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 about this in the near future. We know that putting the show on hiatus will be disappointing news for fans, but it is the right thing to do. All other ‘Top Gear’ activities remain unaffected by this hiatus, including international formats, digital, magazines and licensing.
Top Gear has a long history on the BBC, with the original format running from 1977 to 2001. Following its cancellation, the show was revived in 2002 under the leadership of Jeremy Clarkson and Andy Wilman, becoming a cultural phenomenon for its automotive challenges and often controversial humour.
In 2015, the BBC decided not to renew Clarkson’s contract due to what the broadcaster described as an “unprovoked physical attack” on a producer. This led to the departure of Clarkson’s co-hosts, James May and Richard Hammond, as well as Wilman. “Top Gear” then struggled to find its feet, before finding success with its latest line-up of presenters in 2019, which saw a rise in ratings.
