Chris Harris' chilling prediction before Freddie Flintoff horror crash as he slams BBC

Harris and Flintoff presented Top Gear alongside Paddy McGuinness before a serious accident saw it shelved by the BBC

Former Top Gear host Chris Harris said he warned BBC bosses "someone was going to die" before Freddie Flintoff suffered serious injuries in a crash while filming for the show.

The England cricket icon was driving a three-wheeled vehicle around a test track when it flipped in icy conditions. With no airbag in the vehicle, his face was dragged along the tarmac, leaving him with several broken ribs and facial scars that saw him undergo hours of surgery.

Since the accident in December 2022, Flintoff has struggled with anxiety, nightmares, and flashbacks from the traumatic event. He quit his role as a presenter on Top Gear shortly afterwards, reaching a big-money settlement with the BBC, and the broadcaster later confirmed that the programme had been shelved for the foreseeable future.

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In a recent interview, Flintoff's former colleague Chris Harris, who presented the show alongside him and Paddy McGuinness, recalled the harrowing aftermath of the crash and admitted that he initially thought the cricket legend had died in the accident before he was rushed to hospital.

During an appearance on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast, Harris - who now fronts new BBC series 'Paddy And Chris: Road Trippin’' alongside McGuinness - detailed how Flintoff, who was not wearing a helmet, had not been given sufficient briefing before driving the three-wheeled car due to a "rushed" filming schedule,

"He wasn't wearing a crash helmet," he said. "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 was the only presenter with Fred that day.

"I wasn't actually right by him, but I was close by. I remember the radio message that I heard. I always used to have a radio in my little room at the test track where I was sitting inside so I could hear what was going on.

"And I heard someone say this has been a real accident here. The car's upside down. So I ran to the window, looked out and he wasn't moving. So I thought he was dead. I assumed he was then he moved.

"He's a physical specimen, Fred, he's a big guy, six foot five, six foot six, strong," Harris added. "And if he wasn't so strong, he wouldn't have survived. He's a great advert for physical strength and conditioning, because if he hadn't been that strong, he'd have just snapped his neck, he'd be dead."

The presenter added that the car Flintoff was driving was "difficult" and required "experience", as he explained how he felt "partly responsible" for the accident due to not being able to properly brief him on the vehicle.

He went on to claim that, before the accident had occurred, he had seen previous situations where "it got too dangerous" while filming for the show, as he broke a bone in his hand while recording a stunt in Thailand. Harris added that he had approached the BBC with his concerns three months before Flintoff's crash, warning them that "someone is going to die" if things weren't changed, but claims no action was taken in response.

"What was never spoken about was that 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," he said. "I went to the BBC and I told them of my concerns from what I'd seen as the most experienced driver on the show by a mile. I said if we carry on at the very least we're gonna have a serious injury at the very worst we're gonna have fatality.

"And I think what happened with Top Gear was I saw repeatedly too many times my two co-hosts who didn't have the experience I had in cars. This is the critical thing. I'm qualified to make those decisions because I've done it a long time. They weren't," he added.

"One of them is an actor-comedian.. he other guy is a pro cricket player. Brilliant entertainers. They were great hosts. But their roles were to make people laugh. And my role was to tell people what cars were like.

"Anyhow, I went to the BBC and I said I want to have a meeting with the head of health and safety because this is not good. And what's really killed me is that no one's ever really acknowledged the fact that I called it beforehand," he added.