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SECOND GEAR?
Top Gear’s Paddy McGuinness & Chris Harris are BACK with new BBC series in fallout from Freddie Flintoff’s horror crash
The Top Gear brand was damaged by Flintoff’s crash at Dunsfold Aerodrome in Surrey
PETROLHEADS Paddy McGuinness and Chris Harris are getting back in the TV driving seat — just four months after Top Gear was shelved.
Their new programme, currently called Chris & Paddy: Roadtrip, sees them head out on the highway for a turbo-charged adventure around Europe and is due to kick off this spring.
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Show creators BBC Studios do not see it as a continuation of their former TV vehicle, Top Gear, despite the similarities.
That show was halted after co-host Freddie Flintoff’s horror crash during filming in 2022.
A BBC Studios insider said: “This is a brand new travelogue show for Paddy and Chris.
"The duo will travel across Europe, using various modes of transport, visiting people to find the secrets to wellness and happiness — no stunts, no car reviews.”
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The Top Gear brand was damaged by Flintoff’s crash at Dunsfold Aerodrome in Surrey, which his son said was so bad the former England cricketer was “lucky to be alive”.
The three-wheel roadster he was driving flipped, leaving the father of four with substantial facial lacerations, broken bones and damage to his teeth.
He stepped out of the public eye for several months to recuperate, setting TV work aside.
Bosses officially shelved Top Gear last November, but remained “committed to Freddie, Chris and Paddy, who have been at the heart of the show’s renaissance since 2019”.
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They said they were “excited about new projects being developed with each of them”.
The Sun exclusively revealed last month that Paddy was lining up a travel show.
Freddie Flintoff prepares for TV comeback following Top Gear crash with new series of Field of Dreams
And he recently confirmed: “Me and Chris have got a show, a new show, which we’re starting filming on, so all’s good.”
He also said of Freddie, who is in India filming the second series of his cricket show Field of Dreams: “He’s all good.
“He’s back into the cricket thing now.
“I’ve no doubt we’ll see him on telly at some point in the future.”
BBC Studios declined to comment on the new show.
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