Embattled Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson will be out of a job at the BBC following an investigation over the “fracas” with a producer, according to a new report.
According to The Telegraph, Director General of the BBC Lord Hall will announce Wednesday Clarkson’s removal from the highly rated show. The publication detailed further:
Clarkson, 54, will be thanked for his work on the hugely popular motoring show, but will be told such behaviour cannot be tolerated at the Corporation.
The outburst came after Clarkson, who is one of the BBC’s best paid stars, was informed he could not have steak and chips after a day’s filming because the hotel where they were staying had stop serving hot food.
The Telegraph also reported that Hall will make the decision following the results of an internal investigation prompted by the outburst earlier this month, but will defend Clarkson’s brash personality. But Clarkson was already on thin ice with the BBC and this incident was the final straw. A move Wednesday would end a roughly three-decade career at the BBC for Clarkson.
The “fracas,” as it’s been referred to by the BBC, was a March 4 event at a North Yorkshire hotel where the hosts and crew were staying to film a Top Gear segment. Clarkson reportedly took a punch at a producer after unleashing a verbal assault on him for 20 minutes. The incident was reported a week later to BBC bosses and Clarkson was suspended on March 10.
BBC is also rumored to seek a replacement for Clarkson, including Ferrari collector and radio personality Chris Evans. But the other Top Gear hosts, Richard Hammond and James May, have indicated they may not continue with the show without Clarkson. Top Gear has been on hiatus since Clarkson’s suspension, leaving three episodes from Series 22 unaired. Nearly thirteen years since its 2002 relaunch, Top Gear has grown into one of the BBC’s most valuable shows and brands, airing around the world.