Freddie Flintoff’s TV return made possible after settling with BBC over crash with ‘as little animosity as possible’
FREDDIE Flintoff will return to TV after settling with the BBC over a horror crash with “as little animosity as possible”.
The former England cricket captain, 45, appeared with facial injuries in public for the first time in September.
He was taken to hospital last December after he was hurt while filming Top Gear at its test track at Dunsfold Aerodrome.
The BBC said it had reached “an agreement” with Freddie following the near-fatal crash.
The Sun revealed on Saturday that the settlement is worth £9million and both Flintoff and the BBC are “satisfied” with the agreement.
And now it can be revealed that Freddie could return “to screens next year at the earliest”.
A source said: “Fred has been left utterly traumatised and shell-shocked by this entire episode.
“You cannot underestimate the physical and mental toll this crash had on him.
“He could have easily sued BBC Studios – and perhaps got considerably more from them – but instead agreed to settle privately, with as little animosity as possible.
“By the time Freddie returns to screens next year at the earliest, he will have lost out on almost two years earnings.
“Because of the surgeries he’s had, he may also have to turn down other work – or not be offered it in the first place – which also came into consideration when it came to the final offer.
“Fred is still very much on the road to recovery, however, and at the moment is purely focused on this, his England cricket coaching, and being with his family. For Fred, it’s never been about the money.”
A BBC Studios spokesperson said: “BBC Studios has reached an agreement with Freddie that we believe supports his continued rehabilitation, return to work and future plans.
“We have sincerely apologised to Freddie and will continue to support him with his recovery.”
It comes after it was reported that the England legend has made the move to return to screens come 2024 after his family begged him to take time out to recover.
Freddie is heading back to his roots for a new show revolving around his beloved cricket.
He is set to make a second series of Field of Dreams in which he introduced kids in his home city of Preston to the joys of the sport.
A TV insider told the Sun: “Freddie is a hugely popular TV star and any channel or streamer would be thrilled to sign up one of his shows.
“His return to the limelight is something both telly execs and the public have been longing for and thankfully he now seems ready to return to doing what he loves.
“He just needs to get past the one year anniversary of the crash, then he can focus on the next chapter of his career.
“He’s already in talks about what he wants to work on in 2024 and beyond.”