Ex-Top Gear star James May has revealed his sadness after the BBC parked up the motoring show for the ‘foreseeable future’ on Tuesday following a horror crash that nearly killed host Freddie Flintoff. 

Production of the show has been halted since the former England cricket captain, 45, was taken to hospital in December 2022 after being injured in an accident at the Top Gear test track at Dunsfold Aerodrome in Surrey. 

May, 60, hosted the show from 2003 to 2005 alongside Jeremy Clarkson, 63, and Richard Hammond, 53. 

He told The Sun: ‘I can see why it’s a tricky one for the makers, but I can’t believe it’s gone forever.

‘I think it’s sad because I was a big Top Gear watcher when I was a teenager in the 70s.’

But sources have insisted the programme could be revived in a couple of years, revealing the 34th season of the show was halted due to the crash but the footage has not been scrapped. 

May said he was surprised by the crash when it happened, adding: ‘I don’t think we ever did anything dangerous.’ 

The BBC’s announcement of Top Gun’s rest this week came almost a year after the tragic accident – which saw Flintoff’s car flip and left him with serious facial injuries. 

James May, 60, (right) hosted the programme from 2003 to 2005 alongside Jeremy Clarkson, 63, (centre) and Richard Hammond, 53 (left)

Freddie Flintoff, pictured in September, scraped his face ‘horrifically’ after he rolled a three-wheel Morgan Super 3 while on the Top Gear test track

The crash saw Flintoff’s car flip while filming with co-hosts Paddy McGuinness and Chris Harris

Following the crash, the BBC announced it would pause production on the show, co-presented by Take Me Out host Paddy McGuinness and automotive journalist Chris Harris, as it was felt it would be ‘inappropriate’, adding there would be a health and safety review.

Former Top Gear Stig Perry McCarthy said he is ‘frustrated’ that the BBC show has been rested as he feels it could be adapted to implement ‘better on-site monitoring’.

Former racing driver McCarthy, who was the first to star as the mysterious helmet-wearing racing driver in the long-running hit motoring programme, said: ‘I’m frustrated on several different levels and I just think it’s unacceptable.’ 

McCarthy added that he feels the show could employ these suggested practices, saying: ‘You’ll never eradicate risk from some TV shows that have action and drama in them, you won’t eradicate it, (but) you can always seek to squeeze it down.

‘I feel that they could do all the things they did, but with better on-site monitoring.

‘So if somebody was there who really understood these kinds of risks, they really understood what could happen, then they could advise there and then, turn around and say ”I’m sorry, you’re going to have to do this or this precaution’s going to have to be taken or presenter you are going to have to back off a little bit because you’re too wild here, you’re too quick”.’

Meanwhile former Top Gear presenter James Dawe said he felt it was the ‘right decision’ for Top Gear to be rested as he feels it could not recapture the chemistry of the original hosts – Clarkson, Hammond and May – following their departure.

He said: ‘For many fans of the show it has not been the same since Jeremey, Richard and James left and although many presenters have stepped up and played their part over the past few years, the essential chemistry of the show was never recaptured.

Flintoff is understood to have negotiated a £9million settlement with the corporation for two years’ loss of earnings as a result of the crash

The father-of-four is still recovering from his ‘life-altering significant’ injuries 

The Morgan Super 3, pictured, has three wheels and is open topped. Flintoff was travelling at 22mph when he flipped it

‘I wish the most recent presenting line-up success with ‘Life after Top Gear’… and to Freddie a continued recovery.’

Flintoff is understood to have negotiated a £9million settlement with the corporation for two years’ loss of earnings as a result of the crash. 

The father-of-four is still recovering from his ‘life-altering significant’ injuries, is reportedly preparing his 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.

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 the United States, France and Finland.

Top Gear magazine is the world’s largest monthly motoring magazine with 30 licensed local editions, including China, France and Japan.

In addition, BBC Studios said a health and safety production review of Top Gear, which did not cover the accident but instead looked at previous seasons, found that ‘while BBC Studios had complied with the required BBC policies and industry best practice in making the show, there were important learnings which would need to be rigorously applied to future Top Gear UK productions.’

A statement added: ‘The report includes a number of recommendations to improve approaches to safety as Top Gear is a complex programme-making environment routinely navigating tight filming schedules and ambitious editorial expectations – challenges often experienced by long-running shows with an established on and off screen team.

‘Learnings included a detailed action plan involving changes in the ways of working, such as increased clarity on roles and responsibilities and better communication between teams for any future Top Gear production.’

Flintoff with Top Gear presenters Paddy McGuinness, left, and Chris Harris, right, in 2019 

Flintoff is reportedly preparing his 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. Pictured: Freddie Flintoff and his wife attend the Glamour Women Of The Year Awards at Berkeley Square in 2015

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

The investigation looked at series 32, 33 and production of series 34 up to the December 22 accident, the PA news agency understands.

There was a separate investigation into Flintoff’s crash which was concluded in March of this year and those findings will not be published.

In September, Flintoff was photographed for the first time in public since the crash and had visible facial injuries as he joined up with the England cricket squad for their one-day international series against New Zealand.

He has since made a gradual return to the public eye and last week it was announced Flintoff has been appointed as head coach of the Northern Superchargers in The Hundred, replacing ex-England wicketkeeper James Foster.

Flintoff and McGuinness made their debut as Top Gear hosts in June 2019.

The Ashes-winning sportsman and Take Me Out host McGuinness joined Harris from the 27th series of the BBC Two show in the main presenting line-up.

Harris started as a lead host on Top Gear in 2017.

The accident was not the first faced by Flintoff since he began working on the show.

In February 2019 the presenter was involved in a minor incident when he crashed into a market stall in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire.

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

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

The presenting line-up of Top Gear has made headlines for better and worse over the years.

Former Friends star Matt LeBlanc joined Top Gear in 2016, but announced his departure from the show in 2018 due to the demands of the role and how much it kept him away from his family and friends.

The American actor was a surprise addition to the Top Gear presenting line-up along with presenter and radio star Chris Evans, following the departure of previous hosts Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May.

LeBlanc continued hosting the show after Evans threw in the towel after just one series.

Clarkson was dropped from the flagship BBC show in 2015, over what the corporation called an ‘unprovoked physical attack’ on a show producer.

After his BBC exit, fellow presenters May and Hammond remained loyal, ruling out returning to the BBC show without their co-host, and the trio moved to Prime Video to front The Grand Tour.

Top Gear timeline: What happened after Jeremy Clarkson’s departure?  

Following Jeremy Clarkson’s departure, Top Gear has undergone various revamps before the BBC announced it would pause the show for the ‘foreseeable future’.

The long-standing motoring show, which began under a new format in 2002, has seen big changes to its presenting line-up since 2015.

Here is a round-up of big moments in the show’s history:

2015

– March 10: BBC says Clarkson has been suspended after a ‘fracas’ with a producer on the show.

– March 25: Then director-general of the BBC Lord Tony Hall says the corporation will not renew Clarkson’s contract following an investigation. This event would then bring the resignation of Richard Hammond and James May.

– June 16: Chris Evans is announced as part of the Top Gear presenting line-up.

Clarkson, Hammond and May (left-right) left Top Gear in 2015 after Clarkson punched a producer

2016

– February: Former Friends star Matt LeBlanc is confirmed as co-host to join radio DJ Evans.

– March 14: The BBC ‘sincerely apologises’ for Top Gear filming near The Cenotaph in London, saying that the war memorial was not intended to be featured and will not appear in the programme.

– July 4: Chris Evans steps down, saying he gave it his ‘best shot’ but ‘standing aside is the single best thing I can now do to help’ the show move forward.

2018

– May 31: LeBlanc will leave Top Gear after the next series, BBC Studios announces.

– October 22: Take Me Out star Paddy McGuinness and former England cricket player Andrew ‘Freddie’ Flintoff confirmed as presenters as they join motoring journalist and racing driver Chris Harris.

2022

– December 13: Andrew ‘Freddie’ Flintoff is taken to hospital after an accident at the Top Gear test track at Dunsfold Aerodrome in Surrey while filming the show.

2023

– March 23: BBC Studios conclude an investigation into Flintoff’s accident, saying ‘it would be inappropriate to resume making series 34 of Top Gear at this time’.

– October 13: BBC Studios, which does not use licence fee income, confirms it has reached a financial settlement with Flintoff. The agreement was reportedly worth £9 million.