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Andrew Freddie Flintoff has revealed why he chose to largely avoid contact with his former Top Gear co-presenters Chris Harris and Paddy McGuinness after his horrific crash.

On Friday, Disney Plus is releasing a new documentary “ titled Flintoff “ documenting the cricket legends accident, his illustrious career in his sport and on TV, and what the future holds for the national treasure.

In 2019, around a decade after retiring from cricket, Freddie began presenting Top Gear, sharing his love of cars with fans and taking on daring stunts. It had been a dream of his to join the BBC programme.

Freddie Flintoff''s new documentary on Disney+, titled ''Flintoff'', explores his terrifying Top Gear crash in 2022 and his subsequent recovery.

The film provides an intimate look at his physical and emotional journey, featuring personal insights, interviews with family and friends, and footage from the accident.

Premiering on April 25 2025, this documentary reveals how Flintoff navigated life-changing injuries and his path to reinvention.

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However, in December 2022 he was involved in a life-altering accident at the shows test track, Dunsfold Park Aerodrome in Surrey. In his new documentary, he revealed what went through his mind as the open-top car flipped over, and the split-second decision he made that prevented his death.

Freddie, 47, was previously resistant to the idea of making a documentary about his life, but following the crash, he wanted to go ahead with the project so that speculation about his injuries would stop.

He suffered multiple facial injuries and broken ribs in the accident, and was airlifted to hospital after around a 40-minute wait. In Disney Plus Flintoff, he went into more detail than ever before about what happened, with photos showing the extent of his facial wounds, including the rare loss of soft tissue.

I remember everything about it. In some ways it wouldve been easier if Id gone unconscious and been unconscious for a week or two and you wake up and your stitches are out. But I remember everything, he said to the camera.

He explained the set-up of the open-top, three-wheel car that he was driving, which had a reinforced windscreen in front of him, while he was exposed above his head.

Recalling how he was probably going at 40 to 45mph, he said that he was being shown how to get the car going sideways “ but then, the wheel came up at the front off the ground.

Its a funny thing rolling a car, because theres a point of no return. And everything slows down. Its so weird, he said.

I used to play cricket. I used to bat, and you get 0.4 of a second to make your mind up where the balls going, what shot youre going to play, how youre going to move your feet.

And as it started going over, I looked at the ground, and I knew, if I get hit here on this side, then Ill break my neck. If I get hit on the temple, Im dead. My best chance, is go face down.

Freddie thought back to when his face hit the ground, touching his chin and then dragging his hand up his face to show where the injuries were sustained, where scarring is now visible over the wounds.

But then I got dragged out, the car went over, and I went over the back of the car, and then pulled face down on the runway for about 50 metres underneath the car. And then hit the grass and then flipped back in, he recollected.

At that moment, Freddie revealed that he thought he was dead, because he was conscious, but he couldnt see anything.

I was thinking, is that it? Is that it, do you know what I mean? Just seeing black for the rest of my days, he said. But then he pulled his hat up from over his eyes, and confirmed to himself that he was on the track, realising: This is not heaven.

My biggest fear was, I didnt think I had a face. I thought my face had come off. I was frightened to death, he said.

In the documentary, Freddie opened up about his former Top Gear co-hosts Chris and Paddy, after the latter revealed in March 2024 that they hadnt spoken in 10 months.

The cricket star explained that they had been in contact, recalling a recent meet-up that he had with Chris.

He got a bit upset, I got a bit upset. It was really nice to see him. And I feel bad I havent been more in contact, with him and Paddy. I think theres some comments on Paddy a while ago saying Ive not spoke to him, Ive not done this that or the other, Freddie said.

And part of it is, for myself a little bit. Do you know what I mean? I hate the word triggering but Im worried about that.

He continued: Its also something [that] stopped in some ways because of what happened to me. Their careers have been altered as well, so I feel, not guilty, but I feel bad for them. And also its like, what happened gets dragged up enough in my own head without adding to that.

In the Disney Plus programem Flintoff, the documentary features interviews from several individuals, although Chris and Paddy are absent.

One person who does appear is Tom Breen, from the Air Ambulance Charity Kent Surrey Sussex, who attended to Freddie on the day of the crash, having received a call to the airfield in Surrey.

Freddie was clearly very shellshocked. He had quite a significant facial injury. I mean it wasnt one, it was several and multiple, Dr Tom said in the documentary.

He was in a lot of pain, so we gave him some pain relief and we transported him to our leading major trauma centre, which is St Georges hospital.

When Freddie was rushed to St Georges Hospital, he was seen by oral and maxillofacial surgeon Mr Jahrad Haq, who knew that the athletes case was severe when he received a call from the A&E consultant, as typically injuries are managed at a more junior level before escalating to consultant.

When asked how he would describe Freddies injuries when he first saw him, Mr Jahrad answered: Complex.

He then elaborated, stating: His injuries, overall for the past 20 years of seeing maxillofacial trauma, Id probably put up in the top five.

A few days before the release of Flintoff on Disney Plus, Metro attended a screening in London for the documentary, where Freddie took part in a Q&A.

He admitted that one of the motivations for doing a programme with Disney was the amazement of seeing his picture alongside Star Wars on the streaming platforms homepage, having been a huge fan since he was a kid.

He then added: I feel very privileged to have played cricket professionally for 15 years, grow up around the game and experience some incredible highs, some incredible lows. But the one thing is, I tried to enjoy it. And then probably circumstance over the past two or three years, things changed a little bit, and then, rightly or wrongly, became more interesting. And theres a bit more of a story to tell.

Freddie emphasised that he wanted to have the opportunity to look back at his career and some of the amazing people that I had the opportunity to play with, the amazing people that I got the opportunity to play against, which he never thought would be the case.

I didnt want an accident “ although it keeps coming back to it in the documentary “ to be the one thing that defines you, or that youre remembered for. Its something which happened, and its a constant struggle and a constant tug of war, he shared.

Addressing the audience at the end of the screening, Freddie admitted that he wasnt sure what he personally wanted to get out of the documentary.

I think when you lay yourself bare a little bit and you put something like this out there, youre never quite sure if youre doing the right thing. One of the things that I really enjoyed, actually, for the past two years, is, I wouldnt say living under the radar, but living under a radar which Ive not experienced for a long time, he said.

Addressing his return to cricket, as hes now head coach for the England Mens Lions, he continued: Doing the job I do within crickets allowed me to do that. This is somewhere putting my head above the parapet, which Im pretty nervous about doing.

I enjoy the cricket bits on this, and honestly, I wish it were a few more, and I appreciate that theres a crash there as well, which people want to be spoken about. So its been a delicate balance for myself.

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Flintoff is due to be released on Friday April 25 on Disney Plus.

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