Official: BBC drops Top Gear’s Clarkson

The BBC will not renew the contract of controversial Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson, throwing the future of the show into doubt.

BBC director general Tony Hall was faced with mounting pressure over Clarkson’s future after stories surfaced the presenter (above, middle) had punched a senior Top Gear producer in a row over food provision.

Top Gear earns UK pubcaster the BBC’s commercial arm, BBC Worldwide, more than £50 million (US$74.5 million) a year, but Clarkson’s behaviour over recent years has left him in an increasing untenable position.

After the incident earlier this month, BBC Scotland boss Ken McQuarrie was taked with helming an investigation. He gathered evidence from Clarkson and Top Gear producer Oisin Tymon, whom Clarkson is alleged to have verbally abused and physically assaulted, and Hall met with both men.

“It is with great regret that I have told Jeremy Clarkson today that the BBC will not be renewing his contract,” said Hall this afternoon. “It is not a decision I have taken lightly. I have done so only after a very careful consideration of the facts and after personally meeting both Jeremy and Oisin Tymon.”

Hall said “a line had been crossed” after Tymon needed to attend a hospital Accident and Emergency division following the incident, and had to act.

This was despite widespread support from some sections of society for Clarkson, and other instances where the BBC had decided not to take serious action against him. “There cannot be one rule for one and one rule for another dictated by either rank, or public relations and commercial considerations,” said Hall today.

“Obviously none of us wanted to find ourselves in this position,” he added. “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.”

Top Gear looks like it will continue in a different form going forwards. “The BBC must now look to renew Top Gear for 2016,” said Hall. “This will be a big challenge and there is no point in pretending otherwise. I have asked [BBC Two controller] Kim Shillinglaw to look at how best we might take this forward over the coming months. I have also asked her to look at how we put out the last programmes in the current series.

Tony Hall’s full statement

“It is with great regret that I have told Jeremy Clarkson today that the BBC will not be renewing his contract. It is not a decision I have taken lightly. I have done so only after a very careful consideration of the facts and after personally meeting both Jeremy and Oisin Tymon.

“I am grateful to Ken MacQuarrie for the thorough way he has conducted an investigation of the incident on 4th March. Given the obvious and very genuine public interest in this I am publishing the findings of his report. I take no pleasure in doing so. I am only making them public so people can better understand the background. I know how popular the programme is and I also know that this decision will divide opinion. The main facts are not disputed by those involved.

“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.

“The BBC must now look to renew Top Gear for 2016. This will be a big challenge and there is no point in pretending otherwise. I have asked Kim Shillinglaw to look at how best we might take this forward over the coming months. I have also asked her to look at how we put out the last programmes in the current series.”