The BBC has announced that its flagship motoring show, Top Gear, will not be returning to the air any time soon after presenter Freddie Flintoff was involved in a serious crash that led to production of the last series being halted.

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 [Harris] and Paddy [McGuinness] 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,” added the broadcaster.

Following Flintoff’s accident, which left the former cricket player with life-altering injuries, the BBC apologised and reached a financial settlement with him that is reported to be worth £9 million.