The BBC has confirmed that Top Gear will be renewed despite announcing that Jeremy Clarkson will no longer be employed by the broadcaster.
Clarkson will not have his contract renewed by the BBC when it expires at the end of March, following an incident in which Clarkson physically assaulted the show’s producer Oisin Tymon.
The full statement from the BBC is as follows:
“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.”
But while Clarkson will not be returning to the show, the BBC’s director-general Tony Hall revealed that Top Gear will return in 2016, though admitted the challenges in resurrecting it without Clarkson who has remained a staple of BBC programming. Bringing Top Gear back next year “will be a big challenge and there is no point in pretending otherwise,” Hall stated following the announcement.
Also See: Jeremy Clarkson Will Be Ousted From Top Gear Following “Fracas”
Though Clarkson had a huge following due to his work on the incredibly popular car show, it is unquestionable that he should be held accountable for his actions, and assaulting another member of staff is an act that should rightly see an employee fired from their position, no matter how successful they are at their job. Clarkson had previously claimed that the BBC had “fucked up” by suspending him from Top Gear following the incident, but the broadcaster didn’t throw a punch at Mr. Tymon and send him to A&E. Many Top Gear fans will bemoan the decision, but in reality Clarkson should have likely faced a swift axing rather than simply waiting for his contract to expire. If you disagree with the decision, a suggestion would be to venture into your office today, punch your boss square in the mouth and then wait to see how long it takes for you to join the unemployment line.
