Richard Hammond has spoken up for the first time about the future of Top Gear following Andrew ‘Freddie’ Flintoff’s horror crash.
As you’re no doubt aware, Hammond was involved in a high-speed crash of his own whilst filming for the TV, and – as such – is well-placed to know about what happened with Freddie and what might happen in future with the show.
‘The Hamster’ – not a real hamster, is he? – was seriously hurt in a high-speed crash during filming for Top Gear, surviving his ordeal and continuing on to drive fast cars and present motoring shows, as well as a number of other programmes.
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Now, in an interview with MailOnline, he’s given his thoughts on what should happen now after Flintoff’s accident.
He doesn’t believe that the accidents that both he and Flintoff have suffered should put people off doing stunts on shows like Top Gear, explaining: “Television makers have to be aware that you’re not in some special bubble just because you’re making a TV show, and things can and do go wrong.
“Just like when my tyre blew at that speed – it’s going to be bad.
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“But what are you going to do?
“Track it back to the person who tapped the rubber?
“Something went wrong and things do go wrong.”
He continued: “I don’t know if Top Gear will come back.
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“It’s up to the BBC – often they will rest a brand. My connection with Top Gear was that I watched it as a kid and loved it.
“Then I was lucky enough to be involved in making our version, and I’m sure there will be other versions in the future.”
Obviously, watching Flintoff go through his ordeal has been tough for Hammond too, and he offered the former England cricketer his best wishes.
“I’ve met him a couple of times but I don’t know him,” Hammond said.
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“Obviously I was desperately concerned.
“It’s a really distressing thing to go through.
“I just wish him all the very best.
“He’s got his own journey to undergo and he’ll do that in his own way.”
Hammond suffered serious injuries in 2006 when a dragster he was driving crashed at high speed.
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He returned to the show once he was fit again, but he had experienced serious brain injuries which caused loss of memory, depression, and emotional difficulties during his recovery.
Flintoff has recently been seen working with the England cricket team in the build-up to their defence of the ICC 50-overs Cricket World Cup in India, and seems to be enjoying his time back in the sport after his horror crash.
Featured Image Credit: Mike Marsland/WireImage/Visionhaus/Getty ImagesTopics: Top Gear, TV and Film, Celebrity, Richard Hammond, Freddie Flintoff, Cars