Freddie Flintoff has been praised by long-time friend Kyle Hogg for ‘coming out of his shell’ during the second series of cricket series Field of Dreams.
The former England captain, 46, admitted he worried about returning to the programme after his horrifying crash while filming Top Gear in December 2022, which left him with significant facial scarring and anxiety.
But in the third episode of the series, which aired on BBC One tonight, Flintoff’s friend and former Lancashire bowler Hogg said he had finally seen the legendary all-rounder be himself as he took a cast of youths from his hometown around India.
The future of the series was in doubt following his crash at the Dunsfold Aerodrome in an open-top sports car – and Flintoff said in tonight’s episode of Field of Dreams on Tour that he feared he had ‘taken on too much’ by returning to the show.
The second series sees him take a cricket team of working class teens from Preston on a tour of India, coaching them in how to succeed in the sport while also shaping them into robust and compassionate young men.
Tonight’s episode, however, showed Freddie struggling to motivate the boys to get out of bed in the morning for breakfast.
After asking them to join him at 8am sharp for food, he is noticeably gutted when most of them fail to show on time – and finds himself struggling to keep his cool.
He then admits to producers that he is worried that trying to coach a group of unlikely cricketers may be ‘too much’ for him as he continues his recovery.
Freddie said: ‘I am p***ed off – I was ticking at that table then. It was like, no respect – I can’t help but take it personally.
‘After everything I’ve been through in the past 18 months I do wonder, am I taking on too much here? Do I need this in my life? Right now, I don’t know.’
The boys are eventually roused and gathered up three and a half hours later – and realise their error in not turning up.
As it dawns on one lad that they have let their mentor down, he says: ‘He spoke to us about how it’s been a tough year and how nervous he was to come back out onto TV.’
The episode sees Freddie pitch the boys against a team of teenage girls, some of whom have spent most of their life learning to play cricket, before they go to a glitzy party hosted by the British Deputy High Commissioner to Kolkata.
Ahead of the party, Freddie and Kyle are seen visiting a traditional barbers in the city to have a haircut and a shave.
As he is asked whether he wants a shave, Freddie turns down the offer because of the scarring on his face.
‘It’s fine because of the scar. That was the last time I came here,’ he jokes, breaking into laughter.
Kyle then reveals how Freddie had been ‘apprehensive’ about coming to India to film the second series of the show after his Top Gear accident.
But he then cheerfully says he is glad his friend made the decision to proceed with the trip.
Kyle says: ‘It could have been too much for him considering what’s gone on. But he’s starting to come out his shell and that’s a good sign. I haven’t seen him like that for 18 months.’
Freddie had been at the peak of a second career in broadcasting after retiring from cricket when an open-top sports car he had been driving for a Top Gear feature overturned in December 2022.
The Morgan Super Three is reported to have been travelling at just 22mph when it overturned during filming, leaving Flintoff with serious facial injuries and broken ribs.
Filming on Top Gear was suspended and the future of the show – which he co-hosted alongside comedian Paddy McGuinness and car journalist Chris Harris – remains in question after it was put on indefinite hiatus last November.
And Freddie himself remained out of the public eye for months as he recovered from the accident – first being seen in public almost a year ago helping to coach the England cricket team.
He is believed to have secured a £9million compensation payout from the BBC following the accident. The broadcaster also made an apology to the cricketer.
Viewers watching tonight’s episode have praised Flintoff for his openness about the experience of surviving the crash at Dunsfold.
One said on X, formerly Twitter: ‘Freddie Flintoff, what a bloke. Having gone through what he has and then back in the spotlight regardless, helping these lads on the Fields of Dreams Tour.’
Freddie himself simply said in a short tweet after the episode aired: ‘Thanks for watching #fieldofdreams.’
The second series of Field of Dreams, subtitled On Tour, began two weeks ago with the first look at Freddie’s injuries in the aftermath of the crash.
It opened with footage he had filmed himself on his mobile phone of his egregious facial injuries as he admitted he thought he was going to die.
He said in the episode: ‘Week-and-a-half after my accident. Genuinely, should not be here with what happened.
‘It’s going to be a long road back and I’ve only just started and I am struggling already and I need help. I really am.’
When one of the young cricketers on the tour with him asks him if he is 100 per cent now, he replies: ‘Not really. I don’t know if I will again to be honest. I am better than I was.’
He tells the show: ‘I thought I could just shake it off. I wanted to shake it off and say ‘I’m alright’ but it’s not been a case of that. It’s been a lot harder than I thought. As much as I wanted to go out and do things, I’ve just not been able to.’
Freddie Flintoff’s Field of Dreams On Tour aired on BBC1 at 9pm tonight and is available on iPlayer.