Cliff Notes – Andrew Flintoff ‘remembers everything’ about near-fatal crash in Disney+ documentary
- Andrew Flintoff recalls the vivid details of his near-fatal crash while filming Top Gear, which left him with serious injuries and led to a £9 million compensation from the BBC.
- The upcoming Disney+ documentary, set for release on April 25, features Flintoff discussing the aftermath of the crash and his struggles with anxiety and media speculation.
Andrew Flintoff ‘remembers everything’ about near-fatal crash in Disney+ documentary
Andrew Flintoff, the former England allrounder, says he still “remembers everything” about the near-fatal crash he suffered while filming an episode of Top Gear, after addressing the incident and its aftermath in a new Disney+ documentary about his life and career.
Flintoff, 47, was airlifted to hospital in December 2022, after the open-topped three-wheeled Morgan Super 3 that he was driving around Dunsfold Aerodrome overturned at 130mph. He was left with broken ribs and serious facial injuries, with the BBC paying him a reported £9 million in compensation after agreeing to “rest” Top Gear for the foreseeable future.
The documentary, directed by John Dower, is set for release on April 25, and in a Disney+ trailer that features previously unseen footage of the crash site, Flintoff is seen entering hospital for treatment on his facial wounds.
“I remember everything about it,” Flintoff says. “It’s so vivid.”
Flintoff retreated from public life for months in the aftermath of the accident, and in the trailer, he expresses his “frustration” with the media speculation about his crash.
“This is what I’m left with … I’ve lived under the radar for seven months,” he says. “One of the real frustrations was the speculation, that’s why I’m doing this now, [talking about] what actually happened.
“Everyone wants more, you’re just a commodity. I’m not saying I’m embracing them, but I’m not trying to hide my scars.
“It’s almost like a reset, I’m trying to find out what I am now. I’ve always seemed to be able to flick a switch, I’ve got to find that switch again.’
Flintoff’s return to the sport of cricket has been a key aspect of his rehabilitation. At the behest of his friend and former team-mate, Rob Key – now England men’s director of cricket – he made an incognito appearance at the 2023 Ashes, and went on to take up a series of roles within the game, including head coach of Northern Superchargers in the Hundred, and most recently head coach of England Lions.
BBC let him down
He has also appeared as the host of the rebooted ITV darts show, Bullseye, as well as filming a second series of his acclaimed series, Field of Dreams, in which he travelled to India with his team of new cricketers, and opened up about his struggles to recover from what happened.
“‘I struggle with anxiety, I have nightmares, I have flashbacks, it’s so hard to cope,” he said during the series. “I genuinely should not be here with what happened.
“It’s going to be a long road back and I’ve only just started. I’m going to need help. I really am. I’m not the best at asking for it.”
The new documentary features also interviews with his wife, Rachael, former team-mates including his 2005 Ashes-winning captain Michael Vaughan, and close friends including Jack Whitehall and James Corden.
Speaking to the podcaster Joe Rogan, Top Gear’s co-host, Chris Harris – who witnessed the aftermath of the crash – said that Flintoff was lucky to be alive.
“He’s a physical specimen, Fred, he’s a big guy – six foot five, six foot six, strong. And if he wasn’t so strong, he wouldn’t have survived.
“He’s a great advert for physical strength and conditioning, because if he hadn’t been that strong, he’d have just snapped his neck, he’d be dead.”
In a statement released after the crash, a BBC spokesman referred to an independent health and safety review of the show, and said: “[The review] 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.”