Top Gear’s Chris Harris Warns of Deadly Consequences: “Someone Is Going to Die” on BBC Show

You may remember that BBC canned Top Gear last year after one of its hosts, former cricketer Andrew “Freddie” Flintoff, suffered some pretty horrific injuries in a crash during filming. The other two hosts, Chris Harris and Paddy McGuinness, and the rest of the network have been pretty tight-lipped about what went down that day, but Harris recently opened up about it on The Joe Rogan Experience.

As you might recall, Flintoff was driving a roofless Morgan 3-Wheeler without a helmet when the accident happened. Harris says that, by some miracle, Flintoff’s athletic background and peak physical condition likely saved his life. But the injuries he sustained were still devastating.

What’s really gutting for Harris is that he tried to warn the BBC about the show’s lax safety protocols before the accident. He claims he went to the network three months prior and said, “Unless you change something, someone’s gonna die on this show.” It’s especially frustrating for Harris because he saw the signs of trouble brewing.

You might remember Top Gear for its over-the-top stunts, like Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May driving cars precariously close to cliffs or building boats from cars. But Harris says he saw the safety protocols getting eroded, and despite his warnings, the showrunners ignored him.

He recalls one instance where McGuinness fell off the back of a moving vehicle, and the ambulance was two miles away, with the driver smoking a cigarette. It’s no wonder Harris is still haunted by what happened. Fortunately, Flintoff has recovered and is still working, having just produced and featured in another BBC series. But that doesn’t excuse the BBC’s alleged lack of concern for safety. “I’m very happy and proud to have done Top Gear, but I’m so sad at the way it ended,” Harris said.