Disney+, Ex-Cricket Star Freddie Flintoff Team Up for Doc Following Near-Fatal ‘Top Gear’ Crash
Disney+ and Freddie Flintoff have teamed up for an untitled original documentary film with exclusive access to the former cricket star.
The 90-minute doc, produced by South Shore, will look back at Flintoff’s life and cricketing career for England that saw him win two Ashes series, famous cricket showdowns played biennially between England and Australia, and become a national sporting hero.
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It will follow his time as a presenter on A League of Their Own and BBC One’s Top Gear. During filming for Top Gear in late 2022, a life-altering car crash left Flintoff with severe facial injuries and broken ribs. The sports star reportedly agreed to a ￡9 million ($11.6m) financial settlement with BBC Studios following the crash.
Soon after, Top Gear was axed by the BBC after over four decades on television. Flintoff has spoken previously about the crash, saying it nearly killed him and did not appear in public for a long time after the incident. The father-of-four returned to screens this year with his Field of Dreams, On Tour. Flintoff had said: “I genuinely should not be here after what happened.”
John Dower has been granted exclusive access to Flintoff over the last year to film his recovery and document his cricketing career.
The original documentary film is executive produced by Andrew Mackenzie and Naomi Templeton for South Shore, Freddie Flintoff and executive produced for Disney+ by Sean Doyle, Executive Director, Unscripted, Disney+.
Flintoff first made his cricket debut in 1998 and soon after became a vital player for England, later serving as captain and vice-captain of the team. Since his retirement, however, he has taken a liking to television appearances and even won the Australian version of I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!
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