Freddie Flintoff to front ITV documentary series with Top Gear crash surgeon

Freddie Flintoff will be back on our screens later this year, in a three-part documentary series that will see him travel to Nepal with the surgeon who operated on him after his Top Gear accident.

The former England cricketer needed extensive surgery after a horror crash on the set of the BBC show left him with life-changing facial injuries in 2022.

The 48-year-old spent eight months out of the spotlight while undergoing several operations following the accident, and he will now team up with the surgeon who oversaw his recovery, Mr Jahrad Haq. Together, they will travel to Nepal and help treat patients who have little or no access to healthcare.

The three-part series will see Flintoff and Mr Haq, a maxillofacial surgeon, join charity Face Facts to meet patients of various ages and backgrounds, who are set to undergo their own life-changing surgeries.

“After my crash I had access to the best people. Not everyone gets that,” Flintoff said. “If there’s a way to shine a light on it, to use what profile I've got for that, then that’s what I’ll do.”

UK-based charity Face Facts carries out surgical missions to countries including Nepal and Iraq, and trains surgeons from these countries in the UK, before supporting them as they return to their home hospitals.

Joe Mace, ITV’s commissioning editor for entertainment, said: “We are excited to follow Freddie and the team on this journey, one that will combine intimate personal storytelling with extraordinary medical access.”

The broadcaster is yet to confirm a release date for the show, which has the working title Freddie Flintoff’s Mission: Nepal.

News of the series comes after the BBC announced that Flintoff’s Field of Dreams will not be returning for a fourth run. The first season, which aired in 2022, saw Flintoff head back to his home city of Preston to inspire kids from underprivileged backgrounds to give cricket a go.

In the second season, Flintoff masterminded an India tour for his teenage players but filming was temporarily paused when the Top Gear crash occurred.

Flintoff was driving a three-wheeled car at more than 100mph when the vehicle flipped and skidded down a track at Surrey’s Dunsfold Park Aerodrome, leaving him with broken ribs and severe facial injuries that required extensive surgery. Top Gear filming was halted after the crash and the show never returned.

When cameras on Field of Dreams began rolling again, a visibly changed and still shaken Flintoff was supported by the young players as he reintroduced himself to the world. The third season, released last year, saw the ex-Lancashire and England all-rounder ambitiously start three more teams, including his first girls’ side.

The BBC last week confirmed the show would not be returning, with a statement that read: “We are incredibly proud of the [Royal Television Society] RTS award-winning series Field Of Dreams and, while there are no current plans for it to return, we want to thank Freddie, producers South Shore and all the contributors for three fantastic series.”