Chris Harris reveals details about Freddie Flintoff’s Top Gear crash, expressing concerns about safety failings. He claims to have warned BBC bosses months before the incident.
Bollywood Fever: Chris Harris, a former Top Gear presenter, has broken his silence on Freddie Flintoff’s terrifying crash during filming, claiming that he warned BBC executives well before the accident about the show’s safety failings. In a candid interview, Harris expressed frustration over the BBC’s failure to take his warnings seriously, stating that “someone was going to die” if changes weren’t made.
Harris opened up about the events leading to the crash in December 2022, revealing that he initially feared Flintoff had died when his car flipped over during filming. The vehicle involved was a Morgan three-wheeler, a car Harris described as “difficult” to handle. According to Harris, Flintoff was not wearing a helmet and had not been properly briefed about the risks of driving the vehicle that day.
Recalling the moment, Harris said:
“He wasn’t wearing a crash helmet. And if you do that, even at 25, 30 miles an hour, the injuries that you sustain are profound. I was there on the day… I thought he was dead. I assumed he was. Then he moved.”
Harris credited Flintoff’s physical strength for his survival, saying:
“If he hadn’t been so strong, he’d have just snapped his neck, he’d be dead.”
Flintoff, a former professional cricket player, was filming with Harris on the day of the accident. Harris expressed regret that he was unable to fully brief Flintoff on how to handle the three-wheeler, a car known for its unique handling challenges.
“There were two people that had driven a Morgan three-wheeler before, me and someone else, a pro driver,” Harris explained.
“But no one had asked us anything about the car. They’d just gone on and shot it without us.”
Concerns Ignored by the BBC
What deeply troubled Harris was the fact that he had approached the BBC months earlier, warning them about potential risks on the show.
“Three months before the accident, I’d gone to the BBC and said, unless you change something, someone’s going to die on this show. I went to them… I said if we carry on, at the very least we’re going to have a serious injury; at worst, we’re going to have a fatality.”
Harris expressed frustration over the lack of experience among the presenters, pointing out that while his co-hosts, Freddie Flintoff and Paddy McGuinness, were great entertainers, they lacked the driving experience needed for some of the stunts on Top Gear.
“I’m qualified to make those decisions because I’ve done it a long time. They weren’t. One of them is an actor-comedian, and the other guy is a pro cricket player.”
Dangerous Stunts and Previous Incidents
Harris shared other instances where safety was compromised during filming. One such incident took place in Thailand, where Harris and McGuinness were involved in a go-kart race down a hill on makeshift wooden carts without engines.
“I said to have an ambulance at the bottom because something’s going to go wrong,” he recounted.
“Sure enough, I broke something in my hand.”
In another incident, McGuinness was injured during a stunt involving titanium skid plates attached to their boots while being dragged by motorcycles. Harris said he was alarmed to find that the ambulance driver was two miles away, smoking a cigarette.
“Paddy gets in, tries to go really fast, and he falls off… That was one of those moments where I thought, ‘This has got a bit loose, you know. If you’re going to do these things, that guy should have been running parallel.’”
Lack of Support After the Accident
Harris said the aftermath of Flintoff’s accident was emotionally challenging, not only because of the injuries but also because of how the BBC handled the situation. He claims that despite warning them about the risks, the BBC failed to provide him with any support.
“It’s very difficult to live with that. When I knew, I thought I’d done the right thing… I went to the BBC, and I found out really that no one had taken me very seriously.”
According to Harris, the conversations he had with BBC officials were dismissed, and after the accident, he felt abandoned.
“They didn’t look after me at all. They just sort of left me to rot.”
Even when two inquiries into the accident were commissioned, Harris claims he had little access to the findings, despite pushing hard to see them.
The incident, he said, has had a lasting impact on him, both professionally and emotionally.
“I never expected to be in that position, and I never want to be in it again. It’s strange and pretty heartbreaking in many ways.”
Reflecting on Top Gear’s Safety Risks
Looking back on his time with Top Gear, Harris admits that while the show offered thrilling moments, it often crossed a line into dangerous territory. He highlighted how the pressure to deliver exciting content sometimes led to rushed shoots and compromised safety.
“At the end of the day, that’s when it goes wrong… when you start rushing.”
He also expressed concerns about how public perception might be shaped, particularly regarding his role as the most experienced driver on the show.
“A bit of me thought, do the members of the public think that I didn’t do enough to protect Andrew? And Paddy as well.”
Reflecting on his time with Top Gear, Harris acknowledged his love for the show but emphasized the need for stricter safety protocols to protect those involved in its production.
I love that show… but there were moments that were just too dangerous.”
In the aftermath of the accident, Harris said he struggled to cope, resorting to heavy drinking to deal with the stress.
“I drank world-class quantities of single malt and got into a terrible state.”
The revelations from Chris Harris provide a deeper understanding of the risks involved in producing Top Gear and raise critical questions about the balance between entertainment and safety on high-octane TV shows.
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