Top Gear's Freddie Flintoff, Chris Harris and Paddy McGuinness on battling F1 drivers and a touching motorbike stunt spectacular
Freddie, Chris and Paddy are back for a brand new series of Top Gear and they're more competitive than ever.
Freddie Flintoff, Chris Harris and Paddy McGuinness are back behind the wheel, getting abroad for the first time in 18 months, and getting more competitive than ever in an all-new series.
There’s motoring mayhem of every flavour, as the team battle a trio of F1 drivers in a Silverstone shoot-out, celebrate legendary rider Eddie Kidd OBE with a motorbike stunt spectacular, and test the newest, fastest supercars on sale.
Elsewhere, they tackle the wilds of Iceland in some (utterly unsuitable) British ‘classics’, head to Cornwall in some (utterly unsuitable) bargains for new drivers, and reinvent the great British camping holiday with the help of three new electric cars and three very small caravans.
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Q&A with Freddie Flintoff
What was it like driving on the track at Silverstone during the F1 weekend?
It was fantastic. But it was nerve wracking. We were racing against Sebastian Vettel, a former world champion, and you’re obviously never going to get near him. You don’t want to embarrass yourself in front of Formula 1 drivers on telly in front of a big crowd. I’ve never driven Silverstone before. You don’t know how fast you’re going because it’s so wide and everything is flat on the corners. It’s really difficult.
Has it changed your view of Formula 1?
Yes. I wasn’t that into Formula 1 before, but now I have a newfound appreciation for it. I found myself watching it at the weekend, which I’ve never done before. Because we have met Lando Norris, who is a very nice lad, we’re rooting for him.
Is there a highlight for you this series?
I love it when we are all in the car together, whether it’s in Wigan, racing round that go-kart track, being in the hearse before I dented it badly, in the Tesla singing together, or doing the chilli challenge. Those moments where we’re all in the car together are the most fun bits.
Tell us about the film where you take the test for your racing licence.
I had an inkling I’d driven alright in the test. But I didn’t know if I was getting on the examiner’s nerves. I told him beforehand that I was going to commentate as I drove because that’s how I concentrate, but I was worried he might think I was an idiot. In the end, the test went well, which was a relief because I didn’t pass my driving test till the third attempt!
How did you find the chilli-eating challenge?
It was awful! I’ve toured the subcontinent so many times as a cricketer. Every time you come back home after that, your tolerance seems a bit higher. But I was completely out of my depth here.
Were you annoyed not being able to make the trip to Iceland because your colleague Jamie Redknapp had been in contact with someone with Covid?
Yes. The other two really needed me for the challenges in Iceland, but I wasn’t there. I was sat at home in my basement cursing Jamie Redknapp for making me isolate. In the end, he didn’t even have Covid!
There is a great rapport between the three of you, isn’t there?
Yes, and it’s getting better and better. We have a great laugh off camera, but more and more, we’re doing that in front of the camera as well. It’s not like the producers are saying “laugh now”. It’s just there automatically. People talk about our chemistry, but it’s not something we ever mention. If you think about it, you’re not doing it. If you are having to tell everyone that the chemistry is good, it’s obviously not. It’s nice when people tell you it’s there, but it’s not something we really think about. We are just having a great laugh doing what we do!
Q&A with Chris Harris
How did you find the race against the Formula 1 drivers at Silverstone?
First, congratulations to the production team for getting us access to the track on an F1 weekend. That doesn’t happen very often. It was magnificent to be there. They gave us three drivers who were willing and full of banter, which was great. They could have said nothing, but they were terrific fun.
Did you have a good time in Iceland?
Absolutely. I loved driving around Iceland in a blue Vauxhall Chevette. There aren’t many better-looking places on the planet than Iceland. The landscape is outrageous. It reminded us that even though we love filming in the UK and we have made the best of it over the past 18 months, we need to go abroad again because Top Gear is about selling a dream and that involves travel.
Talk us through the film you made about the DMC DeLorean.
John DeLorean is one of the most interesting characters in motoring history. They recently made a big film about him, and it’s 40 years since the car first went on the market. The car stars in Back to the Future. It’s the most famous film car in the world, even more famous than James Bond’s Aston Martin DB5. Of course, the DeLorean is a terrible car. It had flopped by the time Back to the Future came out, and that’s the joke in the film. “You’ve made a time machine.” Pause. “Out of a DeLorean!” The great sadness, of course, is that if only DeLorean could have kept the business going for another two years, it might have been the best-selling car in America because of the film.
What did you discover when you filmed at the old DeLorean factory in Belfast?
It’s a remarkable story. We spoke to some engineers and people who worked on the shop floor. At that time in Northern Ireland, during the troubles, the fact that Protestants and Catholics worked together on the DeLorean Factory floor without any issues was remarkable.
How did you find it driving a DeLorean?
It’s a car I’ve always wanted to drive because it’s such a dreadful motor vehicle. Its physics is all wrong. It’s one massive ego trip of a car. It’s a story of an ego running out of control, which I love. The moment you get people who have proper charisma and ego and can hoodwink the government into giving them a few quid, just sit back and enjoy the results!
Why do you think these more serious stories work on Top Gear?
Each one of us has an opportunity to take a subject, and maybe deal with it without having to put on the clown shoes and be funny the whole time. Those are the pieces that earn us the right to go and muck around as a threesome. That’s the light and shade of the show.
Were you daunted by the chilli challenge in the middle of nowhere?
Yes. I kept thinking, “we have got to film all day tomorrow, we’re in the middle of a moor and we don’t have any facilities.” The next morning on that moor was a disaster. We were complaining non-stop about how we were feeling!
Why does the chemistry works so well between the three of you?
On Top Gear, you want both your co-hosts to be using one arm to hug you and the other to rabbit-punch you. That works very well with the other two because they’re total idiots!
Q&A with Paddy McGuinness
For the new series, you have made a very touching film with the stunt motorcyclist Eddie Kidd OBE…
It was great to make that because there will be kids out there who have never heard of him. He had an amazing career. Even though I’m a huge fan, I wasn’t aware he had stunt doubled for James Bond and Harrison Ford. The mad thing is that, apart from the grey hair, he still looks the same. He’s a very good-looking bloke. He’s still got a twinkle in his eye and a naughty sense of humour. He has just spent two days trolling me. It’s happening all the time!
But the celebration we did for him was tremendous. I think for his family and the stunt riders who performed it was a big moment. Eddie had no idea that he was the reason all those performers got into it. That sequence is a terrific journey. It’s very cinematic and the music’s great. It’s a treat of a film.
Tell us about the 'hot lap' where you have to eat increasingly spicy chillies while driving round a circuit.
I’m the worst person in the world with spice. I struggle with brown sauce! It burns my lips. I know the other two lads love the old chilli and really embrace hot food. I thought 'I’m not going to get anywhere here,' so I just sat back and watched them hurt themselves internally! And very amusing it was, too!
Did you feel stressed when you had to drive in front of a full grandstand at Silverstone during the British Grand Prix weekend?
Yes. There was pressure all day long. The producers were saying 'you’ve only got an hour here. You’ve got to be off the track at the end of that, and not do this and not do that'. The pressure built up and up. We all had our cars for a couple of days beforehand. Driving around then was no problem. But when we go onto the track, the pressure suddenly kicked in...
Do you have a favourite moment from this series?
It was definitely the chilli challenge. That’s the most we’ve laughed this series. It’s a shame, because you don’t see most of that on the telly!
Why do you think you work so well together as a trio?
Our chemistry comes naturally. You watch a lot of shows and people are striving for that chemistry. But it either happens or it doesn’t, and from the off it just happened for us without even trying. Even when we were messing about together before we had even filmed an episode, it was insane. Nothing is off limits with us. We have a great laugh off camera, as well as on it. I think that’s why it’s been such a success - because people believe us. Long may it continue!