Skip to main content

Jeremy Clarkson ‘crossed a line,’ BBC fires <em>Top Gear</em> host for punching producer — UPDATE

jeremy clarkson
Image used with permission by copyright holder
It’s official: Jeremy Clarkson, front-man for Top Gear has been fired from the show after his assault on Oisin Tymon, a producer on the show.

BBC Director General Tony Hall made the statement declaring the decision after a week-long investigation made by Ken MacQuarrie, the director of BBC Scotland.

Clarkson “crossed a line,” Hall stated, saying that in light of the physical and verbal abuse conducted by the presenter, they will not be renewing his contract.

Top Gear
Image used with permission by copyright holder

MacQuarrie’s investigation findings state that on the 4th of March, the Top Gear crew and the presenters traveled to North Yorkshire for location filming after a day’s worth of in-studio work.

At the Simonstone Hall Hotel, Clarkson physically attacked Tymon, who offered no retaliation. “derogatory and abusive language, relating to Oisin Tymon and other members of the Top Gear team, continued to be used by Jeremy Clarkson inside the hotel, in the presence of others, for a sustained period of time’

Clarkson subsequently made a number of attempts to apologize to the producer before reporting the incident himself to BBC management.

Top Gear Jeremy Clarkson
Image used with permission by copyright holder

“I’ve always been a fan of his work on Top Gear,” Hall said. “I also believe that his voice and voices like his have a really important place in the BBC, but not at any price.”

Hall says Top Gear will continue, but, “it will be different.”

That being said, there’s no news regarding the if other presenters, James May and Richard Hammond, will continue to be on board.

For now, however, the Top Gear as we know it, has come to an unceremonious end. There will indeed be a future for the show, and it might even be exceptional, but it will never be the same.

Update:

Clarkson’s fellow Top Gear presenters have responded in their own ways, following the announcement. Richard Hammond tweeted quite simply his regret of the situation, marking it as “an end of an era,” while James May had a little more to say, hinting that the TG boys travel as a pack.

While besieged by reporters in front of his home while on his way to “write the eBay listing for [his] Ferrari,” May seemed quite pro-Clarkson, saying to Sky News of the incident “I’m sorry that what ought to have been a small incident, sorted out easily, turned into something big.”

When asked about the future of Top Gear, he was confident the show itself would be fine, but his future to continue with the show “will require a lot of careful thought”

“… The three of us as a package, it works for very complicated reasons that a lot of people don’t fully understand,” May went on to say. His solidarity for his fallen comrade shone through at the end when, after being asked who he’d like to work with (as a replacement for Clarkson), he stated flatly ” as much as I think He’s a knob, I quite like working with Jeremy.”

Editors' Recommendations

Alexander Kalogianni
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Alex K is an automotive writer based in New York. When not at his keyboard or behind the wheel of a car, Alex spends a lot of…
Mercedes to trial humanoid robots for ‘low-skill, repetitive, demanding’ jobs
Apptronik's Apollo robot at work in an auto plant.

Humanoid robots have been coming on leaps and bounds in recent years, and some major companies are starting to take note.

Mercedes-Benz, for example, has just entered into an agreement with Texas-based robotics specialist Apptronik to collaborate on identifying applications for highly advanced robots that the auto giant could deploy. The deal will involve a trial that will see Apptronik's Apollo humanoid robot work alongside Mercedes' human workers on the factory floor.

Read more
Hyundai Ioniq 9: price, release date, range, and more
Hyundai Ioniq 9 Front

Hyundai has been at the forefront of EV development for a while now, largely thanks to the success of the crossover-sized Hyundai Ioniq 5. But the company is readying another new EV that could be even more popular than the Ioniq 5 -- or at least more desirable in the U.S., the land of big cars.

The upcoming Ioniq 9, previously set to be called the Ioniq 7, will be Hyundai's take on an electric SUV. It will be to Hyundai what the Kia EV9 is to Kia. It will have three rows and carry over design elements from the Ioniq 5.

Read more
Audi Q6 e-tron ushers in the automaker’s next EV phase
2025 Audi Q6 e-tron front three quarter view.

Audi doesn’t get enough credit for getting luxury car buyers comfortable with EVs. While Tesla took care of the image-conscious types, the German brand unveiled its e-tron electric SUV in 2018 with the tagline “electric has gone Audi” in hopes of getting loyal customers excited about (or, at least, acclimated to) electric cars by pitching the e-tron as an Audi first and an EV second.

The e-tron wasn’t a one-off, either. It’s since evolved into the Q8 e-tron and has been joined by the sporty e-tron GT and entry-level Q4 e-tron. So, while some car brands are only just introducing their first electric models, Audi is ready for round two.

Read more