Freddie Flintoff has been one of three new faces to the Top Gear books for the past year but now it seems he has something else in the works. The former England cricketer has reportedly been lined up as a co-host on Holly Willoughby’s Olympics-themed show The Real 2020 Games, which will air later this year.
To coincide with the 2020 Olympics being held in Tokyo in July, the new series is said to follow celebrities as they try their hand participating in a variety of sporting events.
An insider told The Sun: “Freddie’s a fantastic presenter and bosses thought he would be the perfect fit working with Holly.
“They know each other anyway and on-screen they really bounce off one another.
“Freddie’s cheeky personality is the perfect match for Holly and bosses think they are going to prove a ratings hit.”
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Freddie impressed TV executives fronting Top Gear alongside his co-hosts, with the trio capturing the heart of the nation.
They were praised for bringing the motoring show back to its glory days under Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May.
The original threesome left the show in 2015, after Jeremy was dismissed following an altercation with a BBC producer.
Richard and James followed suit and also departed the program shortly after the news broke, and now all three front the hugely popular motoring show The Grand Tour over on streaming site, Amazon Prime.
Following their departure, Top Gear’s viewing figures dropped significantly, but since Freddie, Paddy and Chris took the reins, the show has had a new lease of life.
Back in his comfort zone, the sportsman’s new venture has been rumoured to include shot-put and synchronised swimming, where the celebrities will be split into teams for a hope to be crowed the winner.
Another source revealed: “There is a real buzz around it and everyone is hoping it looks as good on screen as it does on paper.
“A number of big-name stars are being signed up to take part and they’ll be split into teams and trained to compete in certain sports, like shot put and synchronised swimming.”
Filming for The Real 2020 Games is set to start later this year and the names being lined up to take part are being finalised.
The new series shares a similar format to that of Channel 4’s reality show, The Games.
The sports game show ran four series, from 2003 until 2006 when it wasn’t renewed.
It was presented by Jamie Theakston and saw 10 celebrities compete against each other by doing Olympic-style events, such as weight lifting, gymnastics and diving.
At the end of the series, the contestants with the most points from each round were awarded either a gold, silver or bronze medal – very real indeed.
Kirsty Gallagher and Jade Jones were among those celebs who were crowned winners.
But will this mean Freddie is taking a leave of absence from his role on Top Gear?
Is this a sign that BBC bosses will once again be on the hunt for a new fan to join Paddy and Chris?
We will have to wait and see!
