TOP Gear presenter Chris Harris has slammed the BBC over Freddie Flintoff’s life-threatening horror accident in a scathing new interview.
The TV star, 49, claims he warned bosses months before the crash that “someone was going to die” if they didn’t address safety issues in the car programme.
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Chris Harris said he warned the BBC about health and safety on Top Gear
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Freddie Flintoff suffered life-changing injuries in horrific accident Credit: PA
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The cricket ace needed multiple facial surgeries
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Harris starred in Top Gear alongside Flintoff and Paddy McGuinness Credit: Camera Press
Former England cricketer Flintoff, 46, suffered life-changing injuries in December 2022 when the three-wheeler he was driving overturned at high speed.
The athlete was not wearing a helmet and suffered facial scars and broken ribs.
He became a recluse when he recovered from his ordeal and remained traumatized, suffering regular flashbacks.
The accident looked so bad that Chris, who was at the scene that day, thought his friend and co-star had died.
And the presenter has now claimed he warned show bosses about security issues – but said his concerns were ignored.
Speaking to podcast superstar Joe Rogan, he said: “What’s never been talked about is that three months before the accident I went to the BBC and said, ‘If you don’t change something, someone is going to die on this show’.”
“I went to them, I went to the BBC and told them my concerns based on what I had seen – as the most experienced driver on the show by a mile.
“I said, ‘If we even continue, we’re going to have a serious injury, at worst we’re going to have a fatal outcome’.”
Chris said his two co-hosts – former cricketer Freddie and TV presenter Paddy McGuinness – were “brilliant entertainers” but “didn’t have the experience I have in cars” and were not “qualified to make decisions”.
Taking aim at Beeb and Top Gear bosses, Harris said he believed the briefing for the fateful three-wheeler stunt was insufficient.
Freddie Flintoff’s Top Gear injuries revealed for the first time in emotional home video
He said of Flintoff: “He wasn’t wearing a helmet.
“And if you do that, even at 25, 30 miles an hour, the injuries you’re going to get are profound.”
Recalling the moment when the horror accident happened, he said: “[Flintoff] he wasn’t moving, so I thought he was dead. I assumed he moved then.
“He’s a physical specimen, Fred, he’s a big guy – six foot six, strong. And if he wasn’t that strong, he wouldn’t have survived.
“He’s a great advertisement for physical strength and fitness, because if he wasn’t so strong, he’d just break his neck, he’d be dead.”
WARNING SIGNS
According to Harris, alarm bells started ringing when show managers overlooked a danger related to the type of car being used.
He said: “It’s a very, very heavy car, you know.
“You have to be aware of its limitations. And I think it was really difficult and you need experience.
“There were two people driving the Morgan three wheels that day – me and someone else, a professional driver.
“And we were sitting inside during that time.
“Nobody asked us anything about the car. They just went and filmed it without us.”
In a further damning assessment, Harris claimed that the show expected too much of the driving skills of Flintoff and Paddy McGuinness, given that they were not drivers like him.
He said: “And I think if I look in the mirror it’s very difficult for me, even now, that Andrew, who I loved dearly, was a wonderful man, he was a professional cricketer. He wasn’t a car guy.
“And because of the timing of the call that day, it was the first time we’d ever had a chance to talk about how he could approach a heavy vehicle.
“And that was one day when it went wrong. I find that very hard to live with. And I feel partially responsible because I didn’t get a chance to talk to him.”
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Flintoff is back on TV less than two years after the accidentCredit: PA
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Harris said Flintoff and McGuinness should have given more information about the stunts Credit: BBC
THAI CHAOS
There were warning signs that something catastrophic could happen before Freddie’s near-fatal accident, Chris claimed.
He said he was shocked by the blasé approach to stunts and felt it was only a matter of time before someone was seriously injured.
“Me and Paddy were in Thailand,” he explained. “And we drove a kart race down the hill in just compacted wooden go-karts without engines.
“I just looked at them and said, it’s not a question of whether we’re going to get hurt. It’s how much we’re going to get hurt.
“I said that the ambulance should be at the bottom, because something will go wrong.
“Of course, I broke something in my hand, and broke my finger or whatever.
“I’ve always said I don’t mind breaking my arm if we get a Bafta or an award for it, but this was just a *** skit. It went on too long.”
The incident prompted him to seek out the head of the BBC’s health and safety department for a meeting, but he claimed it did not result in any change.
He continued, “And what really killed me was that no one ever really acknowledged the fact that I called it in advance.”
Indolence is something Harris still struggles with.
If he wasn’t so strong, he would have just broken his neck, he would have been dead.
Chris Harris
“I usually just go with the flow, but I saw this coming,” he said. “I thought I had done the right thing. I went to the BBC and I really found out that nobody took me very seriously. After that I did a bit of digging.
“The conversation I had with these people was in some way acknowledged. Then they tried to quiet me down a bit.
“And then they didn’t look after me at all. They just left me to rot.
“Even now I’m totally confused about the whole thing.
“To actually tell an organization, this is going to go wrong, and then be there the day it goes wrong is a position I never expected to be in, and I never want to be in again.”
“They just kind of left me sweating. I just didn’t, I just sat in my house where I live and drank whiskey. I didn’t have much contact with them at all. Everything went quiet. They drank two commissioned investigations into the accident, none of I didn’t have access to them.
“Something from me as an experienced driver, does the public think I didn’t do enough to protect Andrew? And Paddy too.
“They’ve both had other incidents on that show that I think were unacceptable. And that comes as someone who likes a bit of risk.”
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Flintoff received £9m payout from BeebCredit: BBC
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Harris claimed bosses did not protect his fellow non-motorists enough Credit: BBC
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Freddie’s life has changed dramatically since the near-fatal collision Credit: Getty
OFF
The series eventually paid the price for the accident, being pulled from the air.
Flintoff was also awarded £9 million in damages, paid by BBC Studios, the corporation’s commercial arm. An external investigation into the incident was launched, but the findings have not been made public.
He remains on good terms with the BBC itself, with the second series of his cricket documentary series Field of Dreams recently airing to rave reviews.
However, the money did little to help with the trauma she is still experiencing.
The father of four recently said: “I’m already struggling and I need help. I really am.
“I’m not very good at searching.
“I have to stop crying every two minutes.
“I really shouldn’t be here after what happened. It’s going to be a long way back, and I’ve only just begun.
“I have to look at the positive sides. I have one more chance and I will take it. I see that it is so – the second time.”
The BBC declined to comment on Harris’ interview.
In November, following the culmination of the Top Gear health and safety investigation, BBC Studios said: “An independent review of Top Gear’s health and safety production, which looked at previous seasons, found that although BBC Studios complied with the BBC’s policies and industry best practice in creating the show, there were important learnings that will need to be rigorously applied to future productions of Top Gear UK.”
“The report included a number of recommendations to improve approaches to security as Top Gear is a complex program-making environment that routinely navigates tight filming schedules and ambitious editorial expectations – challenges often faced by long-running shows with established on-screen and off-screen crews. .
“The learning included a detailed action plan including changes to working methods such as greater clarity about roles and responsibilities and better communication between teams for any future production of Top Gear.”
The Top Gear crash from Freddie Flintoff’s nightmare
We reported that at the time of the crash, Freddie was heard screaming in fear, “I can’t stop,” as he hurtled headfirst down the runway just inches off the ground in a three-wheeled car.
He was racing his co-leaders when he realized he was running out of road and about to cross the finish line – seeing him spin in a cloud of dust.
Doctors immediately helped him at the scene and he was rushed to the hospital.
Sources claimed the trio were originally to compete on the mile course, but bosses extended it to 2.4 miles in a bid to achieve faster speeds.
The former England cricketer was filming an episode for the hit BBC series at Dunsfold Park Airport before the shocking blow.
Categories: Optical Illusion
Source: HIS Education