Freddie Flintoff says Top Gear stunts haven’t topped the buzz he got from cricket
Top Gear presenter and former England legend Freddie Flintoff says trying to accelerate to 200mph in a 1990s Jaguar XJ220 for the new BBC One series came pretty close
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Freddie Flintoff has revealed that even Top Gear’s outrageous stunts have not replaced the adrenaline buzz he got from cricket.
But the former England legend, 42, admitted that trying to accelerate to 200mph in a 1990s Jaguar XJ220 for the new series came pretty close.
Asked how it compared to hitting a six or winning at cricket, he said: “This will sound quite strange but all the things I have done since retirement, some daft stuff, stunts and various things, but from an adrenaline point of view nothing has ever come close to going out to bat for England or Lancashire for me.
“I think for a while I was trying to find that again and recreate it and I couldn’t find it in boxing or in doing a load of extreme sports.
“I must admit that [getting to 200mph] was up there.
“Just because it is like nothing I have driven before.
“It is an old car, it is all over the place you can hear it rattling, you feel every bump, and then you have got to stop it.
“After I had finished it the adrenaline was definitely going and it was something I really enjoy and always search for.
“I had a weird sense of achievement having driven that car that fast.”
Freddie takes the controls of the classic Jag sports car for a new part of the show called The 200mph club.
Now in its 29th series, Top Gear moving to BBC1 for the first time in a bid to get even bigger ratings.
It will also features Freddie and co-hosts Chris Harris, 45, and Paddy McGuinness, 47, travelling to Paddy’s hometown of Bolton.
The journey proved emotional for Paddy.
He said: “When you film in your hometown it’s always special.
“I remember watching it for the first time and filling up.
“I was like, God look at this I’m like on a show that’s massive around the world, we’re on BBC One and these are the streets I grew up in and played in.
“It was just a really, really special thing and it’s a lovely, funny and warm episode.
“It’s just so lovely, for me it was kind of like one of those cliches ‘I wish my mum could see me now’, but I did definitely get that feeling from it.”
Car expert Chris is hopeful the show can get bigger on the main channel.
He said of the move to BBC1: “I was surprised, I was really proud and I’m excited about the potential to reach a newer bigger audience.”
The new series of Top Gear starts on Sunday 4 October at 8pm on BBC1.
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