Freddie Flintoff 'was being eyed up for unexpected TV role before Top Gear job'

Former cricketer Andrew 'Freddie' Flintoff is said to have been considered for a role as a TV detective before his stint on Top Gear, though it ended up going to someone else.

Crime novelist Lynda La Plante has shared that she had her eyes on the presenter for a role in her series Prime Suspect 1973, which was broadcast on ITV in 2017. It would have meant sharing the screen with actor Alun Armstrong, who appeared in the show, which was a prequel to the long-running series Prime Suspect.

She wrote about meeting with the former cricketer in her new memoir, saying he seemed keen for the role, as reported by the Daily Star. Lynda said: "As for the part of DCI Bradfield, that was an even sorrier saga. Of course, I came out of left field with my first suggestion but I really did think it would work. I'd been glued to the sports game show A League of Their Own hosted by James Corden."

She added: "The ex-cricketer Freddie Flintoff captained one team and I found myself drawn in by him. What an interesting Bradfield he might make, I thought."

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In her latest tell-all, Getting Away with Murder, Lynda recounts how she approached sporting hero Freddie, now 46 - who was later announced as a host of Top Gear in 2018 - to sound him out. As reported by the outlet, she recalled: "After I contacted Freddie's manager and met with Freddie I put it to him: 'Have you ever thought of acting?' 'I'd love to,' he answered, although he admitted that a lead part scared him. 'You have something,' I reassured him. And he did - a quiet charisma."

However, Lynda's casting hope was reportedly dismissed by TV executives who opted for actor Sam Reid for the role instead. She lamented: "Freddie was due to travel to Australia shortly afterwards but while he was there he agreed to put together a short tape of him acting out a scene, which I enthusiastically showed.

"To me, it would have been such a coup to give him his first major acting role. 'He's not good enough.' That was the immediate response. It felt as though he'd hardly been considered. Back to the drawing board, I thought."

Lynda's memoir Getting Away with Murder: My Unexpected Life on Page, Stage and Screen is out now.

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