- Top Gear, the BBC’s monolithic and historic car show, is being put to rest for the “foreseeable future,” according to a statement by the outlet.
- The pause follows a crash late last year involving Andrew “Freddie” Flintoff, one of the show’s three hosts.
- It’s not the first time Top Gear has been stopped, with the most recent iteration beginning in 2019.
The BBC is officially putting Top Gear on ice, though it doesn’t seem to be closing the door for good. The official statement, published online by the BBC on Tuesday, says that the outlet has “decided to rest the U.K. show for the foreseeable future.” The decision to halt production follows a crash last December during filming that involved presenter Andrew “Freddie” Flintoff.
With the former trio of hosts—Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May—Top Gear became one of the BBC’s top earners and one of the most watched television shows in the world. Following an offscreen incident in 2015, the BBC chose not to renew Clarkson’s contract and went through several hosts before landing on Paddy McGuinness, Freddie Flintoff, and Chris Harris in 2019.
The show was in the process of filming the 34th series when Flintoff had his crash last year. No new episodes have been released since. Current episodes can be found in the United States on the BBC America channel as well as iTunes, Google Play, and Hulu.
“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,” the BBC’s statement says. “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.”
Associate News Editor
Jack Fitzgerald’s love for cars stems from his as yet unshakable addiction to Formula 1.
After a brief stint as a detailer for a local dealership group in college, he knew he needed a more permanent way to drive all the new cars he couldn’t afford and decided to pursue a career in auto writing. By hounding his college professors at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, he was able to travel Wisconsin seeking out stories in the auto world before landing his dream job at Car and Driver. His new goal is to delay the inevitable demise of his 2010 Volkswagen Golf.