"I Almost Died in Freddie Flintoff's Top Gear Crash, Reveals The Stig – 'Everything Turned Red as His Blood Sprayed Over Me'"

TOP Gear’s The Stig has told of his torment at the hands of the BBC after breaking his back in the crash that nearly killed Freddie Flintoff.

Paul Rees, 41, whose by The Sun today, was in which flipped in Surrey in 2022.

Paul Rees, who was Top Gear’s The Stig, has recalled for the first time the crash that nearly killed him and Freddie Flintoff Credit: Dan Charity

He today recalls that nearly killed him and , saying: “My vision went red. I now know that was blood from Fred spraying me in the face.”

Rees, who is suing production firm Studios over the 2022 horror, added: “I remember thinking that if we can get out of this and be in wheelchairs, we’re lucky.

“It was a terrifying thought. Everything goes in slow motion.

“I genuinely felt like we were going to potentially die, because we had no protection. I’m used to ­having four or five-point harnesses, a helmet, and a roll hoop.

“I was acutely aware the only thing holding my head off the tarmac was Fred’s head. I still have no idea how I walked away.

“It is why I highlighted from the very start, and we were not listened to by the BBC.”

Married dad-of-two Paul broke his back and was after the Morgan Super 3 flipped at Dunsfold Aerodrome in Surrey.

Ex-England cricketer , 48, needed several reconstructive facial surgeries and later got a . has been paused.

Flintoff needed several reconstructive facial surgeries and later got a £12million payout Credit: DISNEY+ Married dad-of-two Paul broke his back and was left with PTSD after the Morgan Super 3 flipped Credit: DISNEY+

Ex-Formula 2 and Supercup driver Paul — who was from 2019 until 2022 — is claiming in excess of £100,000 in damages but says he would have settled for a heartfelt apology.

Paul said that on the morning of Freddie was handed comedy glasses and a vintage racing cap.

He added: “I remember I said to him as he was getting his belt sorted, ‘Fred, you need to wear a helmet in this’. He went, ‘No, I’m wearing this’.

“I looked at one of the guys, and I said, ‘? They’re not wearing helmets?’. And the answer was no.”

When show bosses feared Freddie was not “dynamic enough” through the track’s right-hand “Chicago” corner, Paul was asked to be a passenger in the car.

BBC Studios legal ­filings claim they have recordings from in-car mics, in which they say Paul had not made it clear enough that he had no experience in the car.

But he said: “One of the first things I did was I told Fred, ‘We really don’t want to roll this’. I said, ‘Fred, I’m outside of my comfort zone here . . . I don’t know anything about this car’. I’d never driven anything with three wheels.”

Paul also says that a Morgan mechanic had told him that the car could not roll over unless it was steered while going backwards.

Paul Rees sitting in the car that crashed Credit: Paul Rees Filming was suspended while Freddie had surgery and bosses investigated the accident Credit: Disney +

He added: “I tried to mitigate the risk by telling Fred to spin the car, and telling him to take his hands off it when it went backwards. The BBC have not made any reference to that.”

Freddie and Paul repeated the run through the corner before, after a couple of attempts, their lives “changed in an instant”.

Paul said: “I said to him, like, power, power, power, power. He’s given it a load of power, which is what we did the time before.

“And suddenly, because it had this low scoop and I had my arm hanging out the side, the next thing I know we are on top of my arm sliding down the runway.

“We’re effectively just inverting with our faces going straight towards the tarmac, and then we’re upside down. It’s because Fred had taken the impact.”

The car came to a rest 50 metres away. Paul said: “Fred was hunched over on top of me.

“I pulled him back next to me, took one look at him and I thought he was dead.

“I thought there’s no way someone could take an like that and survive.

Paul is claiming in excess of £100,000 in damages but says he would have settled for a heartfelt apology Credit: Dan Charity I remember thinking that if we can get out of this and be in wheelchairs – we’re lucky, says Paul Credit: Paul Rees

“I could hear a gurgling noise, and I could see his chest going up and down. It was like a war injury, something you see in the movies.

“We just went into, ‘We need to save him’ mode.” But Paul claims production bosses had scrapped a full ambulance crew and replaced them with one trained medic.

Paul said: “I’ll never forget the first words he said, ‘I’m not equipped for this injury and situation’. We used to have a full-size ambulance on set at all times, which was usually where I got changed into the white Stig suit.

“Suddenly, to have a guy in a small hatchback who, the first thing he says when he gets on the scene is ‘I’m not prepared’ . . . it’s worrying.”

A delay in treating Freddie meant Paul was not checked for his own injuries until hours later Credit: The Times The character known as The Stig has been portrayed by various drivers throughout the history of Top Gear Credit: BBC

Paul called 999 only to be told the nearest ambulance was two hours away. Soldiers training nearby had seen the crash and offered to help by getting an .

The delay in treating meant Paul was not checked for his own injuries until hours later.

A medic ran his fingers down Paul’s back and he felt a sharp pain from a light poke. He alerted wife Jemma about the crash as he went to hospital on a spinal board.

He added: “Fred later left a voice note, checking in on me and letting me know he was in good hands.

“I could barely understand what he was saying because he had a lot of damage and had lost a lot of teeth. But it was lovely to hear his Northern accent.”

Filming was paused amid Freddie’s surgery and an investigation.

Paul had earlier raised concerns when, on a recce to for a challenge, no and safety official was sent owing to budget and timing cuts.

Paul said: “I said, ‘I think we’re overstretched. Our hours are crazy’. We’re trying to do four day shoots in two days. A lot of feedback at the end of nearly every shoot post-was, ‘That was intense. We got away with that’.”

He claims he was then told by one executive to “dull down” his comments so the show could make a comeback when Freddie recovered.

He did not hear from the BBC again until he was offered a therapy session with other staff.

After months of pain, Paul found out in 2023 that, despite originally being given the all-clear, he had actually broken his back.

He says a BBC rep demanded he come to London for a meeting, where the broadcaster tried to blame him.

He said: “I expected an arm to be put around me, and it wasn’t whatsoever. I said to her, ‘How are you pinning this on me?’. She’s like, ‘Well, you were the pro driver sat next to him. We’re not pinning it on you as such, but you probably need to get a good lawyer’.

“It felt like the accident just happened over again, like I was being thrown under the bus.”

Paul added: “I love Top Gear, I love the crew, many of them are my friends, and I really want it to return to its former glory. The BBC has to learn the lessons from this.”

BBC Studios said: “We dispute this claim and are defending it. As it is before the , it would be inappropriate to comment further.”