‘Freddie is a resilient character...no doubt he’ll be right as rain’
PADDY McGuinness says he is convinced his Top Gear co-star Freddie Flintoff will overcome serious injuries he suffered in a crash during filming.
Ex-England cricketer Freddie, 46, suffered face and rib damage at Top Gear’s Dunsfold Aerodrome, Surrey, test track in December 2022.
The BBC has now put the popular motoring show on hold.
In a gradual public return, dad-oftwo Freddie rejoined England’s backroom staff for their T20 series against West Indies earlier this year, and also as head coach of the Northern Superchargers in The Hundred.
Asked how Freddie was doing, Paddy, 50, said yesterday: “He’s all right. I’ve not spoken to him for a while, but he is getting on with it.
Comedy
“He’s a very resilient character, is Fred. So I’ve no doubt he’ll be right as rain.”
Asked about hair-raising filming moments on the BBC Two’s Top Gear, Paddy joked: “Working with Chris Harris was the main one for me – that is a bit much.
He added: “I sound like a politician now, but I can’t really get into the ins and outs, because there’s all stuff still going on with Top Gear. At
some point, it will all get sorted out.”
Ashes-winning star Freddie, pictured right, last year, and
Take Me Out TV host Paddy made their Top Gear debut with petrolhead presenter Chris, 49, in June 2019. While Top Gear is being rested, Paddy will be hitting the road on a stand-up comedy tour for the first time in eight years.
The dad of three said: “A tour takes up a lot your time so I’ve just genuinely never had time to put it in.
“When Top Gear was paused, I was like, ‘I can do it now’. I put the tickets on sale, and they flew out, so it’s quite flattering.” Paddy added: “You’re always going to be nervous going on stage, but I think it’s quite seducing when you’re on stage with a live audience and they’re laughing and you get that instant interaction.
“It is a very seducing feeling, you know. But as soon as I walk off stage, I turn it off. I can’t wait to get home and watch Ice Road Truckers or something like that.”
Paddy called his material “observational”. He added: “I’m writing stuff at the minute and it might be my age, but I’m now at an age where I’m like, ‘They’re getting it, I can’t wait to talk about that’.
“I’m in that ‘slightly perturbed by things in the world’ stage.”