Andrew ‘Freddie’ Flintoff insists the new ‘Top Gear’ series won’t include "nasty" humour.
The 41-year-old star will front the new series of the BBC motoring show alongside Paddy McGuinness, 45, and Chris Harris, 44, and he revealed that although he’s "all for having a laugh and a joke" he and his co-stars will not "cross the line" with their comedy unlike former presenting trio Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond whose more risque jokes often landed themselves and the show in hot water and included an Ofcom investigation following complaints from viewers of racism.
In an interview with The Daily Telegraph newspaper, he said: "Humour in the world has changed. Don’t get me wrong – there’s humour in the show now. I’m all for having a laugh and a joke but not nasty.
"There’s a fine line with that and I don’t think it’s one we ever come close to crossing. We’re there having a laugh but we’re also rooting for each other."
The former England cricket hero replaces Matt LeBlanc on ‘Top Gear’ after the ‘Friends’ actor, Harris and radio DJ Chris Evans originally took over ‘Top Gear’ from Hammond, May and Clarkson for the 2016 series.
The change came after the original hosts left the programme in 2015 following Clarkson’s contract being terminated by the BBC after he got involved in a physical altercation with one of the show’s producers Oisin Tymo.
Flintoff – who has carved out a successful broadcasting career since retiring from cricket – has always been a fan of the series and he admits getting the chance to host it is a dream come true.
He said: "My agent came up and said, ‘Do you want to try out for ‘Top Gear’?’ It’s something we’d chatted about in the past. If there’s one job on TV I’ve always wanted to have a go at it was ‘Top Gear’.
"I love the show when I went home [after the screen-test] I was desperate to get it. They left me hanging a bit to be honest. But when I got it I couldn’t believe it. I have no idea why they picked me. I try not to think about it, in a way it doesn’t feel real. When it goes out on Sunday – that’s when I think it’ll finally sink in."
The new series of ‘Top Gear’ airs on BBC Two on Sunday (16.06.19) at 8pm.
Andrew Flintoff promises new Top Gear isn’t ‘nasty’
