Former cricketer Andrew “Freddie” Flintoff is to travel to Nepal to help deliver the life-changing surgery he received after he was involved in a crash while working on Top Gear, in a new TV series.
The 48-year-old’s three-part show, Freddie Flintoff’s Mission: Nepal, which will air on ITV, will see him travel to the Asian country with his surgeon Jahrad Haq, who treated him after he was taken to hospital with facial and rib injuries following the crash at Dunsfold Aerodrome in Surrey in December 2022.
The former England cricketer underwent extensive reconstructive surgery for his facial injuries, and he will now aim to look at how the care can be delivered around the world in countries where access to healthcare is limited.
Flintoff said: “After my crash I had access to the best people. Not everyone gets that. 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.”
The programme will see Flintoff meet patients in Nepal and experience life in the country, while Mr Haq will join UK-based medical charity Face Facts on their mission to operate on patients who have little or no access to free healthcare.
Joe Mace, commissioning editor of entertainment at ITV, said: “We are excited to follow Freddie and the team on this journey, one that will combine intimate personal storytelling with extraordinary medical access.”
Since his crash, Flintoff has returned to cricket as head coach of The Hundred team Northern Superchargers, a role he left last year.
He has also returned to TV to host the BBC’s Freddie Flintoff’s Field Of Dreams: Ultimate Test, which sees him attempt to build new cricket teams from teenagers who have limited experience of the game, and has starred in his own Disney+ documentary.
After the crash, the BBC “rested” Top Gear for the foreseeable future in 2023 after reaching a financial settlement with Flintoff, an agreement reportedly worth around £9 million.
