Former Top Gear host Richard Hammond has suggested the BBC motoring show could make a comeback, despite its current hiatus following Freddie Flintoff's serious crash in December 2022. Speaking to the Oxford Mail, Hammond said the programme has been off-air before and could return in a new form.
“It’s been off-air before. It’s been on and off air for the last 40 odd years,” Hammond said. “It is a BBC-owned show, it was a magazine show about cars, and it’s gone through various incarnations.” He added that the BBC rests big-name shows and then brings them back.
Hammond worked on Top Gear with Jeremy Clarkson and James May until 2015, before the trio moved to Amazon Prime Video’s The Grand Tour, which ended last year. After they left, the BBC tried several presenting teams, eventually settling on Paddy McGuinness, Freddie Flintoff and Chris Harris.
Flintoff suffered life-altering injuries when his three-wheel Morgan Super 3 flipped at high speed during filming, leaving him with severe facial scars and broken ribs. The BBC subsequently halted production indefinitely, and Flintoff agreed a £9 million financial settlement with the broadcaster.
Hammond expressed sympathy for Flintoff, saying his reaction was “oh god, poor Freddie, that sounds awful”. He noted that the show being taken off air after the crash was a consequence, but remained optimistic about its future.
