Top Gear through the years: As BBC series ‘axes’ after Freddie Flintoff fall, look back at some of the show’s biggest moments

Top gear He has reportedly been sacked by the BBC after 46 years after bosses determined there was no way back from Freddy Flintoff’s horror car crash.

The former England cricket captain was lucky to be alive after his 130km/h three-wheeler Morgan Super 3, which had no airbags, overturned on December 13 last year, leaving him with severe facial injuries and broken ribs.

The Ashes the hero had to wait an ‘excruciating’ 45 minutes for an air ambulance – with BBC later giving him an apology.

Insiders said Sun that after nearly ten months, production staff have now been told to look for other jobs, presumably marking the end of the auto show.

At least one member of the Top Gear production team is reportedly considering suing the BBC for lost earnings.

In response to reports that the show had already been cancelled, a BBC spokesperson told MailOnline: “A decision on the timing of future Top Gear shows will be made in due course with BBC Content.”

As the curtain looks set to close on the long-running TV show, MailOnline looks back at some of Top Gear’s biggest moments.

Angela Rippon launches Top Gear (1977)

Journalist and current Strictly Come Dancing contestant Angela Rippon was the first host of Top Gear in 1977.

At the time, the show was intended as a regional program and so was only available to BBC Midlands viewers.

The following year, the BBC took a greater interest in the show and made it available to viewers across the country.

Angela presented the show first with Ben Coyne and then Barry Gill before leaving the show in 1979.

Jeremy Clarkson Joins The Show (1988)

New life was breathed into Top Gear when Jeremy Clarkson joined the show in 1988.

His presenting style was well received by viewers and the show was regularly BBC2’s most watched program during this period.

Jeremy was brutally honest in his assessment of the car, once saying of the original Vauxhall Vectra: “I I know it’s a replacement for the Cavalier. I know. But I’m telling you it’s just a box on wheels.’

Top Gear reboots and viewers meet ‘The Stig’ (2002)

After nearly 25 years on the air, the BBC made the decision to ax Top Gear in December 2001.

Jeremy relaunched the show the following year with Richard Hammond and Jason Doe hired as co-hosts.

The 2002 revival also saw the introduction of the anonymous test driver ‘The Stig’, with the running joke that no one knew who or what was in the Stig’s suit.

Drivers including Michael Schumacher and Ben Collins have been the Stig in the past, while the current wearer of the suit remains a mystery.

The Fatal Accident of Richard Hammond (2006)

Back in 2006, the presenter suffered brain injuries in a 288mph car crash while filming for Top Gear.

Richard was in a coma for two weeks in September 2006 after the jet-powered Vampire car he was driving at 288mph blew a tire during a speed record attempt.

He suffered severe head injuries and was in hospital for five weeks before returning home to his wife Mindy and their two daughters, Isabella and Willow.

Despite the horrific fall, the host emerged remarkably unscathed.

Famous guest stars

Several big names have appeared on the show over the years.

In 2010, Hollywood A-listers Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz were guests on the show. Tom completed his lap in 1.44 seconds, while Cameron completed his lap in 1.45.

Rowan Atkinson appeared in the series the following year, while Ryan Reynolds, Michael Fassbender and Simon Pegg also gave memorable performances.

Jeremy Clarkson axed from Top Gear (2015)

Jeremy was sensationally sacked from Top Gear in 2015 after punching producer Oisin Tymon over a hot dinner during filming.

The presenter punched Tymon in the face when he was offered a plate of cold cuts instead of steak and chips after a long day of filming.

An internal BBC investigation into the incident revealed that Jeremy spent 20 minutes verbally abusing the producer at a luxury hotel in North Yorkshire before launching a 30-second physical attack that led to him being dragged away by another member of staff.

North Yorkshire Police entered the fray, but Mr. Tymon did not press charges and Jeremy has since publicly apologized to him.

Change of host (2016)

Following Jeremy’s departure, both Richard Hammond and James May also quit, prompting a change in the show’s hosts.

Chris Evans was recruited to work on the series, while former Friends star Matt LeBlanc was brought in as co-host.

Eddie Jordan, Chris Harris, Sabine Schmitz and Rory Reid also joined the show.

Chris Evans left the show after just one series, while LeBlanc, Harris and Reid became main hosts for the next series.

Freddie Flintoff and Paddy McGuinness join (2019)

Top Gear underwent another change in 2019 as Matt LeBlanc left the show and Freddie Flintoff and Paddy McGuinness joined Chris Harris as the new presenters.

Freddie and Paddy proved to be just what the show needed as ratings soared after they joined.

Further proving the continued success of Top Gear, the BBC has made the decision to move it from BBC Two to BBC One for its 29th series in 2020.

Freddie’s Horror Car Crash (2022)

Freddy was filming a segment for Top Gear in December when the three-wheeler he was driving overturned, leaving him with severe facial injuries and several broken ribs.

It was later revealed that the £43,000 British hand-built Morgan Super 3, described as a ‘motorised tricycle’, had no airbags installed.

In the immediate aftermath of the accident, Flintoff faced an “excruciating” 45-minute wait for an ambulance to arrive and take him to hospital, with the BBC later apologizing to the presenter.

England’s 2005 Ashes hero left Top Gear after the accident and filming for the rest of the 34th series was abandoned, with the BBC saying it would carry out a health and safety review.

Speaking for the first time about the accident in October 2023, Freddie described the past few months as “the hardest of my life” as he recovers.