Freddie Flintoff could use chunk of ?9million Top Gear crash …
Freddie Flintoff is set to receive £9million compensation from the BBC[3] over his horrific car stunt on Top Gear[4] last December.
But he may be forking out some of that money to appease the legions of angry villagers in his home county of Lancashire, who have teamed up to block development proposals by a company he co-owns.
Logik Developments, of which the former cricket star, 45, is a company director, has applied to take over three plots of agricultural land[5] with plans to transform them into industrial units, retail outlets and a hotel.
Among the objectors in Samlesbury is one furious resident whose picturesque farmhouse view of fields may be transformed into a less than serene view of a lorry-filled industrial park.
He describes the proposed new build as a ‘monstrosity’.
Earmarked? Freddie Flintoff is to receive £9million compensation from the BBC over his Top Gear crash But he may be forking out some of that money to appease villagers in Lancashire (pictured last month)
Troubles: Locals have teamed up to block development proposals by a company he co-owns called Logik Developments (pictured last month)
‘Ask Mr Flintoff if he’d like it built in his back garden?’ he wailed.
It comes after it emerged Freddie is plotting his TV comeback next year[6] after his horrific crash on the BBC motoring show put him out of action for months.
While the star is preparing to return to TV to make a second series of his BBC documentary series Field of Dreams, he may also be back to host another thrill-seeking car show.
Freddie has been out of the limelight for almost a year after the horrific crash left him with serious face injuries.[7]
He is understood to have negotiated £9million settlement[8] with the corporation for two years’ loss of earnings.
However the father-of-four could be back to front another motoring show – Chasing Cars, which has been described as The Repair Shop but for petrolheads, The Sun[9] revealed.
A TV insider told the publication: ‘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.
Crash: The former England cricket captain, 45, was ‘lucky to be alive’ after his three-wheeled Morgan Super 3 car, which did not have air bags, flipped over on December 13
‘He just needs to get past the one year anniversary of the crash, then he can focus on the next chapter of his career.’
MailOnline has contacted Freddie’s representatives for comment.
But Freddie is said to be pacing himself ahead of a return to screens as the one-year anniversary of the crash that saw him retreat from the public eye for months looms.
While he is coming back for series two of the 2022 BBC documentary series that saw him introducing children in his home city of Preston to cricket, Field Of Dreams, his other upcoming projects are yet to be confirmed.
The star was driving a Morgan Super 3 – a lightweight ‘trackday’ sports car with two wheels at the front and one at the back – at the Dunsfold test track near Guildford, Surrey last December when it overturned.
The open-top car has no airbags, and the cricketer was not wearing a helmet when the car flipped at around 22mph – meaning he ‘scraped’ his face along the tarmac in horrific scenes witnessed by the TV production crew.
Return to TV: The father-of-four could be back to front another motoring show – Chasing Cars, which has been described as The Repair Shop but for petrolheads, The Sun revealed
The paper also reported that Freddie may also choose to be interviewed about the physical and psychological issues associated the crash.
He has bravely shared details of his struggles with an eating disorder – both in an interview on Piers Morgan’s Life Stories and in BBC documentary Freddie Flintoff: Living With Bulimia.
Freddie reportedly required a number of surgeries following the crash, suffering broken ribs and facial bones after being dragged along the road.
Several members of staff who witnessed it were signed off sick, having reportedly been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder – a claim the BBC has denied.
He retreated from the limelight at the behest of his family in order to recover, breaking cover for the first time last month[10] to coach England cricketers.
An investigation mounted in the aftermath of Flintoff’s crash found the BBC had no case to answer, while Morgan – a British marque based in Worcestershire – has said there was nothing wrong with the car.
BBC Studios said it has ‘sincerely apologised to Freddie’ and will continue to support him.
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.’
References
- ^ Richard Eden for the Daily Mail (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ Owen Tonks For Mailonline (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ BBC (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ Top Gear (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ has applied to take over three plots of agricultural land (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ Freddie is plotting his TV comeback next year (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ the horrific crash left him with serious face injuries. (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ £9million settlement (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ The Sun (www.thesun.co.uk)
- ^ breaking cover for the first time last month (www.dailymail.co.uk)