Director general Tony Hall
As has been widely leaked and speculated, Jeremy Clarkson has been sacked from his Top Gear television show.
The presenter received the decision this afternoon when BBC director general Tony Hall released a statement saying the decision was made ‘with deep regret’.
The now notorious ‘fracas’ at a North Yorkshire hotel took place earlier this month when Clarkson had a tantrum about the lack of hot food waiting for the crew after a day’s filing the motoring show.
He reportedly punched Oisin Tymon, 36, an assistant producer on Top Gear for over a decade.
Hall said: “I want to make three points.
“First – The BBC is a broad church. Our strength in many ways lies in that diversity. We need distinctive and different voices but they cannot come at any price. Common to all at the BBC have to be standards of decency and respect. I cannot condone what has happened on this occasion. A member of staff – who is a completely innocent party – took himself to Accident and Emergency after a physical altercation accompanied by sustained and prolonged verbal abuse of an extreme nature. For me a line has been crossed. There cannot be one rule for one and one rule for another dictated by either rank, or public relations and commercial considerations.
“Second – This has obviously been difficult for everyone involved but in particular for Oisin. I want to make clear that no blame attaches to him for this incident. He has behaved with huge integrity throughout. As a senior producer at the BBC he will continue to have an important role within the organisation in the future.
“Third – Obviously none of us wanted to find ourselves in this position. This decision should in no way detract from the extraordinary contribution that Jeremy Clarkson has made to the BBC. I have always personally been a great fan of his work and Top Gear. Jeremy is a huge talent. He may be leaving the BBC but I am sure he will continue to entertain, challenge and amuse audiences for many years to come.”
Read the full BBC statement here and download a summary of the internal enquiry.
No announcement has been made about a replacement and Hall said he had asked Kim Shillinglaw to look at how best we might take this forward over the coming months.
Update: North Yorkshire Police is now involved and have released a press statement. A spokesperson said:”North Yorkshire Police is liaising with the BBC regarding the alleged incident in North Yorkshire involving Jeremy Clarkson.
“We have asked the BBC for the report which details the findings of their internal investigation into the matter.
“The information will be assessed appropriately and action will be taken by North Yorkshire Police where necessary.
“It would not be appropriate for North Yorkshire Police to comment further at this time.”
