Top Gear stars tackle gravity-defying Wall of Death stunt – and live to tell the tale

Top Gear presenters Freddie Flintoff, Paddy McGuinness and Chris Harris took on a massive challenge, the wall of death, a gravity-defying vertical drive around a purpose-built cylinder.

The Top Gear team “pulled 4Gs” or, in plain-speak, they were feeling four times the effects of normal gravity.

They all managed it in the purpose-built buggy. Flintoff tackled the challenge at high speed, whizzing around the wall so fast his co-hosts could barely crane their necks fast enough to watch it.

Viewers were gobsmacked by the stunt.

Omg no. No no no. My anxieties levels right now ???????????????? #TopGear

— Sarah ????‍♀️ (@ItsSaraahh_) October 11, 2020

That Wall of Death was insane!” wrote one fan.

That Wall of Death was insane! Loving the new series of #TopGear pic.twitter.com/Bw7Zmrh0OI

— Carl Ward (@carlward) October 11, 2020

But next came the real challenge – they had to keep their “right-offs” (cheap cars salvaged from the wreckers’ yard) right on the wall and reach a speed of 50mph.

Flintoff took his right-off, a beaten up Maserati, around the wall. He achieved the audacious challenge, trailing bits and pieces of his car behind him, although he later admitted he didn’t have all four wheels on the vertical.

Watching this wall of death thing on #TopGear through my fingers! Freddie is bloody fearless! Really enjoying this new series.

— Jaimielee Rendall (@JaimieleeRen) October 11, 2020

Not everyone enjoyed the stunt. One viewer posted on Twitter: “No wonder the @BBC cant give pensioners a free licence anymore that wall of death for a 5 minute segment must have cost 100s of thousands”.

Earlier, McGuinness took a classic supercar, a Lamborghini Diablo, for a spin and skidded off a wet road, destroying the £250,000 vehicle.

What a pointlessly stupid way to destroy a classic focus RS. #topgear is so shit these days. @BBC_TopGear just cancel the show and put us all out of our misery.

— Leon Hobson (@leonjhobson) October 11, 2020

Another posted: “That is EXACTLY why you shouldn’t put TV presenters behind the wheel of supercars. #TopGear”.

But as ever, Top Gear continued to divide viewers. One fan tweeted: “What an amazing episode of #TopGear – 200mph 80s supercars, physics defying stunts, and as always, a bag of laughs. Very impressed with this new trio.”

Another criticised the critics who wanted the original Top Gear team back.

The people that refuse to watch the new Top Gear because it’s not Clarkson,Hammond and May, are missing out #TopGear

— Rich (@Rich38709046) October 11, 2020

Another fan agreed: “Well I’d say tonight’s #TopGear has been the best episode in a very long time. Certainly the best post-Clarkson/Hammond/May episode to date.”

Top Gear continues on BBC One on Sunday 18th October.

Check out what else is on with our TV Guide, or take a look at our new TV shows 2020 page to find out what’s airing this autumn and beyond.