Jeremy Clarkson has said Top Gear 'has to be saved' after the future of the show was cast into doubt following Freddie Flintoff's car accident.
Considering he was dismissed from the show in 2015 and took his co-presenters James May and Richard Hammond with him, you might think that Clarkson would have no interest in the future of Top Gear.
But just because he's now off farming and embarking on some Grand Tours doesn't mean he's completely lost interest, as he made clear this week.
Clarkson decided to use his column in The Sun to address the future of Top Gear after the BBC announced yesterday that it had stopped filming its next season.
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The news came after Flintoff suffered a number of injuries in December, when he got into an accident on the show's test track at Dunsfold Park Aerodrome in Surrey.
Flintoff had to be airlifted to hospital with broken ribs and facial injuries, and though the BBC assured his injuries weren't life threatening, it hasn't yet confirmed whether the show will go on.
Its statement, released yesterday (24 March), explained: "Under the circumstances, we feel it would be inappropriate to resume making series 34 of Top Gear at this time.
“We understand this will be disappointing for fans, but it is the right thing to do, and we’ll make a judgement about how best to continue later this year."
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The statement doesn't say anything to immediately suggest Top Gear will be cancelled altogether, but Clarkson wrote in his column today that the show 'has to be saved'.
The presenter acknowledged that Flintoff might 'choose to do something else in future' after the injuries he suffered, but he expressed hope that whatever decision Flintoff makes, it won't be the end of the show.
He continued: "I do hope, however, that my old mates who run the show can find a way of saving it. Because in these days of soft and cuddly eco-madness, we need programmes like it more than ever."
Following Flintoff's crash last year, the BBC assured 'crew medics [attended] the scene immediately', after which he was airlifted to hospital.
Clarkson admitted the crash sounded 'absolutely horrific', adding: "It will take a very long time before he’s fully recovered."
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The BBC has said it apologised to Flintoff for the events that unfolded on the test track, adding that it 'will continue to support him with his recovery'.
Topics: Jeremy Clarkson, Top Gear, TV and Film
Emily Brown