After presenter Andrew "Freddie" Flintoff was in an accident in December at Top Gear's test track at Dunsfold Park Aerodrome in Surrey, the BBC said that they have "decided to rest the UK show".

They continued to explain that the British public service broadcaster "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."

"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."

Flintoff's legal team told the Sun newspaper that he was still recovering from "life-altering significant" injuries. He has reached a settlement with the BBC, reportedly worth £9m.

BBC Studios said the external investigation report "was concluded in March of this year and is not being published, which we have always made clear".

In a separate health and safety review, that did not cover Flintoff's accident, the BBC stated: "The independent Health and Safety production review of Top Gear, which looked at previous seasons, found that while BBC Studios had complied with the required BBC policies and industry best practice in making the show, there were important learnings which would need to be rigorously applied to future Top Gear UK productions."

"The report includes a number of recommendations to improve approaches to safety as Top Gear is a complex programme-making environment routinely navigating tight filming schedules and ambitious editorial expectations - challenges often experienced by long-running shows with an established on and off-screen team.

"Learnings included a detailed action plan involving changes in the ways of working, such as increased clarity on roles and responsibilities and better communication between teams for any future Top Gear production."

Flintoff was photographed recently for the first time since the accident in September. The former cricket player had visible scars on his face and he had tape on his nose.