Top Gear bosses have an insurance company on speed dial, Hot TV can reveal.
Presenters Paddy McGuinness, Freddie Flintoff and Chris Harris regularly film dangerous stunts for the show – so execs can’t take any chances.
A show source said: “Top Gear’s insurance costs are generally very high. They’re on speed dial for us.”
Freddie said: “I don’t know how we get insured for some of the stuff we do. There are so many crashes.”
If the worst happens and one of the stars dies during filming, the show’s life insurance cover will mean their family gets a payout.
Chris added: “The BBC have us covered. We get a massive £30,000 payout if we end up dead.
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“But on a private level it’s very difficult. I don’t have any personal insurance for the stunts we do. If it goes wrong on an airfield, I’m on my own. No one is going to underwrite that. They’re not remotely interested.”
Top Gear is back for a Christmas special on December 29 on BBC Two.
Fans will see its three stars tackle rocky terrain in Nepal on one of their most dangerous missions yet.
At points they were so nervous it would end badly, Chris sent an emotional text message to his family.
Producers often keep quiet about how dangerous locations will be so the hosts don’t back out.
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Paddy said: “They don’t tell you what it’ll be like. If you had the option before we set off, you’d say, ‘I don’t fancy that’.
“But the way it works, you just come to find yourself in these situations so you can’t do anything about it. You’ve got to drive on because there’s no other way.”
Freddie said: “I’ve done quite a few things that are a bit daft. I don’t really tell the family. I think they’d rather not know.
“I got found out once because I did cliff diving in Acapulco and didn’t tell the missus until we watched it.”
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Chris added: “I don’t tell my kids what I’m going to be doing. They watch it and sometimes they think I’ve been reckless and disapprove.
“But my job is about risk management. None of us want to make headlines for the wrong reasons.
“So we take a look at something and if it’s possible, we’ll give it a go. We spur each other on. You don’t want to be the one to give up. There is natural competition between the three of us. We keep going which is good creatively. It pushes you to places you wouldn’t otherwise go.”
