As we told you since Jeremy Clarkson wrote that dinosaur-filled column in The Sun, Top Gear is kaput and Jeremy Clarkson’s career at the BBC as well. BBC Director-General Tony Hall said today that “the BBC will not be renewing his contract” and “the BBC must now look to renew Top Gear for 2016.” It’s game over.
It’s funny that some big shot auto publications pointed the finger at us that we’ve jumped ship with our original story according to which Jezza and Top Gear are kaput. But the signs of this outcome were there from the beginning and people didn't want to believe that because life without Top Gear on TV is... boring.
Sorry, folks, but we were proved right by Tony Hall. The BBC Director-General analyzed both Clarkson’s and Oisin Tymon’s versions of the fracas, declaring:
“It is not a decision I have taken lightly... 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.”
Myself a huuuuuge fan of Top Gear, I won’t take Jeremy Clarkson’s side, nor question the BBC’s decision. It was a mistake and people have to pay for their mistakes, end of subject. This does not mean Jezza isn’t as appealing to me as he was years ago, when I got hooked on the show. All good things come to an end...
On an ending note, I want to mention the three points BBC’s Tony Hall made in his statement on the hit motoring show and Jeremy Clarkson.
One: “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.”
Two: “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.”
Three:“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.”
After checking the BBC Director-General's statement regarding Jeremy Clarkson in the release below, you may also want to check a summary of the investigation's findings by accessing the adjacent PDF file.
UPDATE: James May has something to say about the whole fracas fiasco in the following video.
Gutted at such a sad end to an era. We're all three of us idiots in our different ways but it's been an incredible ride together.
UPDATE 2: According to The Sunday Times, Jeremy Clarkson feels hopeful about the future: "I think the concept of commercial-free broadcasting is a good one and — whisper it here — I think it’s good value too.”
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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