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Philip Toscano

Jeremy Clarkson has been dropped by BBC

Those petition signatories won’t be happy.

JEREMY CLARKSON HAS effectively been sacked as presenter of Top Gear.

Clarkson’s contract will not be renewed by the BBC after he had been suspended by the corporation for two weeks after allegedly punching a producer.

Both Clarkson and producer Oisin Tynon gave evidence as part of the investigation.

It’s also been alleged that Clakson called Tynon a “lazy Irish c**t” as part of the incident which newspapers claim was about a lack of hot food after filming.

Today, BBC Director-General Tony Hall said that he did not make the decision lightly.

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.

Ken McQuarrie’s report says that:

“On 4 March 2015 Oisin Tymon was subject to an unprovoked physical and verbal attack by Jeremy Clarkson. During the physical attack Oisin Tymon was struck, resulting in swelling and bleeding to his lip. The verbal abuse was sustained over a longer period, both at the time of the physical attack and subsequently.”

The report says that the crew had travelled to Yorkshire for a shoot and “the physical attack lasted around 30 seconds and was halted by the intervention of a witness”.

It adds that:

“The verbal abuse was directed at Oisin Tymon on more than one occasion – both during the attack and subsequently inside the hotel – and contained the strongest expletives and threats to sack him. The abuse was at such volume as to be heard in the dining room, and the shouting was audible in a hotel bedroom.”

Hall adds three points to this statement:

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 will now look to renew Top Gear for 2016, he said.

“This will be a big challenge and there is no point in pretending otherwise. I have asked (commissioning editor) 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.”

Read: Sacked in the morning: Jeremy Clarkson to be fired tomorrow by BBC, say reports

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104 Comments
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    Mute Diarmuid O'Braonáin
    Favourite Diarmuid O'Braonáin
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    Jan 24th 2023, 5:01 PM

    No state or semi state body should be selling land or any asset which is owned by the people of Ireland to foreign investment funds. We have vulture funds and cukoo funds that were given the red carpet when they arrived and the poorer people in society suffer while at the same time loop holes being left in place where they pay zero tax on profits. The land coillte is selling dosen’t belong to them it belongs to the people of Ireland. Can you imagine what the people who fought for Irish Independence would think of all this.

    If anyone thinks this is a good idea. Look at it like this. The biggest lake in the UK and Ireland in Lough Neagh in Northern Ireland and its privately owned by one guy, Nicholas Ashley-Cooper, 12th Earl of Shaftesbury who lives in Dorset. How can one guy own a lake? Lakes and rivers should be the property of the state owned by the people of that country. Coillte are gonna go backwards doing the same with our forestry.

    366
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    Mute cathalsurfs
    Favourite cathalsurfs
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    Jan 24th 2023, 5:06 PM

    @Diarmuid O’Braonáin: We’ll see how long your comment lasts on here. Let that be an indication of the level of backwardness. The Windsor Family (royals) are in receipt of one of the largest payments for agricultural land under CAP.

    86
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    Mute Colm Molloy
    Favourite Colm Molloy
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    Jan 24th 2023, 4:44 PM

    Take 200million from the property tax or rainy day fund and buy the land for the Irish people or the Irish state.

    245
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    Mute Pauline Cahill
    Favourite Pauline Cahill
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    Jan 24th 2023, 4:49 PM

    Selling our land back to the English government would sell anything for money they have no loyalty

    239
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    Mute cathalsurfs
    Favourite cathalsurfs
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    Jan 24th 2023, 4:57 PM

    We should be fining the brits for stripping our land of our Native Oak not so long ago. Not selling off to them. Coillte is state owned. Let that sink in.

    209
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    Mute Diarmuid O'Braonáin
    Favourite Diarmuid O'Braonáin
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    Jan 24th 2023, 5:30 PM

    @cathalsurfs: One of the finest Oak forests in Europe was in the blackwater valley. The land was given to him by king or royal in charge. It was cut down and sold. The guy then built himself a big castle…. Lismore Castle…

    96
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    Mute thesaltyurchin
    Favourite thesaltyurchin
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    Jan 24th 2023, 5:42 PM

    Happy for any investment profit to go to the UK but the people who live here can’t buy a car in the UK without giving them 10k. Have to wonder who they’re working for.

    86
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    Mute Philip Cooper
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    Jan 24th 2023, 5:25 PM

    This is not okay on any way.

    Why are these guys always screwing us?

    145
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    Mute Mary Nugent
    Favourite Mary Nugent
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    Jan 24th 2023, 7:44 PM

    Pulp for election posters. We the people, have no say.

    32
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