A presenter on the BBC’s Top Gear motoring programme was seriously ill in hospital on Thursday after a high-speed crash while filming the show, the broadcaster said.
Richard Hammond (36) had been driving a jet-powered car capable of reaching 480kph before the accident in northern England. British media reported he had been attempting to break the British land speed record.
On its website, the BBC quoted a hospital spokesperson as saying Hammond’s condition was stable. Emergency workers cut Hammond free from the car, which had veered off the track and rolled over, the BBC quoted one of the rescuers as saying.
The show, which tests and reviews cars, is broadcast to millions of people worldwide on BBC World. Hammond co-presents the show with Jeremy Clarkson and James May. – Reuters