Top Gear hasn’t been in top gear lately. At least not since December 2022 when presenter Freddie Flintoff crashed violently while filming for the upcoming series. Now, it’s been revealed that the show’s editorial director Clare Pizey has stepped down from her role, putting the show in what one could call a ‘limp mode’.
Her exit comes months after Flintoff left his role in March. Last December, he was injured quite seriously after his open-top three-wheeled Morgan Super 3 car overturned at high speed on the Top Gear test track at Dunsfold Aerodrome in Surrey while filming series 34. He was then airlifted to the nearest hospital.
The accident severely damaged his face, causing trauma physically and mentally. The BBC released a statement after the crash, sincerely apologizing to him and assuring him of their support through his recovery.
After the incident, filming has pretty much come to an end. The exit of Clare has led to questions about the car show’s future. A BBC executive has reportedly told the Times that her departure from the show was a “big blow” and that it didn’t signal the end of the show but definitely ‘put it on life support.’
A former staff member even told the Times:
“Everyone is assuming that it’s over for Top Gear now Clare has left.”
Just recently in May, there was a scare of the Top Gear track being demolished for a housing society as a bulldozer swung into action half a mile away from the track. It was finally revealed that the work was planned to occur on the other end of the aerodrome and the famous track would remain intact.
Now though, that won’t matter since a question has been raised on the existence of the show itself. As an old Top Gear fan who knows almost every dialogue of every episode by heart, it feels sad to see the state of affairs, especially when you consider the success it saw when the trio were on board. The good old glory days will forever be etched in thy heart.
