BBC Cancels Top Gear for "Foreseeable Future"

After months of rumors about what would happen to the most popular automotive TV show in the world, the BBC announced that Top Gear would be discontinued “for the foreseeable future.”

The cancellation comes amid the network reaching a settlement with host Freddie (Andrew Flintoff) after a crash resulting in injuries to him last year. Flintoff was seriously hurt when the Morgan Super 3 he was driving flipped over during filming. In September, he appeared in public for the first time in several months, and photos from that event showed that he had numerous facial scars. The BBC said the following month that it had struck a £9 million ($11.5 million) settlement with the former cricketer.

The BBC also confirmed that although the Top Gear TV show was being canned, the Top Gear magazine and website will continue as normal. But just because Top Gear is disappearing from the screens, it doesn’t mean we’ve seen the last of its three presenters. BBC says it remains committed to Freddie (Andre Flintoff), Chris Harris, and Paddy McGuinness who have been at the heart of the show’s renaissance since 2019 and is excited about new projects being developed with each of them. According to a statement from the BBC:

“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. 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. We will have more to say in the near future on this.”

Using terms like “resting the show” and “for the foreseeable future” indicates that the Top Gear TV show is not dead forever. However, it also suggests the current format with the aforementioned hosts will likely not return.

Since its 1977 debut, Top Gear has undergone numerous host changes and variations. A redesigned, more personality-driven version debuted in 2002, starring Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond. In 2003 James May became a member of the team. They produced the comedy-stunt program that is most known to audiences today.