'Top Gear' has run into further problems, as the team were forced to abort a filming shoot in Kazakhstan.
New co-hosts Rory Reid, Eddie Jordan and Sabine Schmitz were due to shoot scenes for the new series of the BBC Two motoring show in the country, but were caught up in a row between Kazakhstan and Russian airline Aeroflot.
According to The Sun, the trio were flown out to Moscow on Saturday (26 March), along with 40 other crew members, to catch a connecting flight.
However, they never made it, because Kazakhstan denied all Aeroflot flights destined for the country permission to take off, as the airline had failed to provide the correct documentation.
The crew were then forced to return home having filmed nothing, with the failed mission thought to have cost the BBC £500,000.
The corporation has insisted the abandoned filming trip was not their fault, adding that costs will hopefully be covered by insurance.
A spokesperson told the newspaper: “Through no fault of the 'Top Gear' team, the airline carrying them was not permitted to fly from Moscow to Kazakhstan and so they returned to London.
It is the latest in a long line of unfortunate incidents that have blighted the rebooted version of the show.
Earlier this month, Chris Evans was forced to apologise after a controversial stunt that was filmed near the Cenotaph, which saw co-host Matt LeBlanc and professional driver Ken Block carry out ‘donut’ turns and other stunts around the memorial in London’s Whitehall.
The crew later ran into trouble filming at Folkestone Rugby Club, with reports that they turned up at the club to shoot unexpectedly.
