The BBC has adressed reports of Top Gear’s imminent cancellation with a lukewarm response in denial. An investigation involving an accident from nearly a year ago involving co-host Freddie Flintoff is still ongoing. Top Gear’s future doesn’t seem much more assured than it did before but evidently, it’s not dead just yet.
Last week, The Sun published a piece claiming that the BBC was about to cancel Top Gear. It cited “insiders” that claimed the show couldn’t go on after the accident involving Flintoff. Now, a spokesperson for the BBC has responded to the rumors saying “A decision on the timing of future Top Gear shows will be made in due course with BBC Content.”
Flintoff’s crash last year involving a three-wheeled roadster saw him suffer severe facial injuries and broken ribs. It was violent enough that the BBC suspended production for the past 10 months. The same initial report from The Sun said that some of those on the staff were considering legal action over lost wages surrounding the delay.
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According to the Independent, Flintoff recently made his very first public appearance since the crash at a Cricket event. Neither he nor his co-hosts, Paddy McGuiness and Chris Harris, have made any public comments about the crash or BBC’s plans for the future of Top Gear. Reports suggest that Flintoff actually questioned the safety of the car and course before the crash.
In truth, it sounds as though most of these rumors could prove accurate. The BBC may have told parts of the production team to refocus on other efforts regardless of what it does with Top Gear. In fact, it may still keep the show going but with far more safety measures in place or a different structure. At the same time, it’s possible that we’re one announcement away from the end of, as one presenter put it, a “pokey little motoring show.”
