'Top Gear' Season 22 News: BBC Suspends Show After Jeremy Clarkson Allegedly Punched Producer
“Top Gear” presenter Jeremy Clarkson has been suspended over a “fracas” that happened last week.
The BBC has suspended the popular television host after Clarkson allegedly punched a producer. The show’s three remaining episodes of this season will also not be aired.
Clarkson, 54, the long-time host of BBC’s popular car TV show “Top Gear” has been suspended after an alleged altercation between him and a producer, according to Reuters. The popular TV show airs on more than 200 countries and has 300 million fans around the world.
"Following a fracas with a BBC producer, Jeremy Clarkson has been suspended pending an investigation," the broadcaster said in a statement on Tuesday. "No one else has been suspended."
Clarkson is no stranger to trouble. He has been in trouble many a times before for rude and racist comments and had written on his column in The Sun that he was on his last warning with the BBC.
The Telegraph reports the TV presenter punched “Top Gear” producer Oisin Tymon last week after filming in Yorkshire, northern England. Reports allege Clarkson’s dinner had arrived late and he punched Tymon over it.
When asked about the incident, co-host James May said he did not think the incident was that serious.
"No, I think he has been involved in a bit if a dust up, but I don't think it's that serious,” he said. He was then asked if he though Clarkson was innocent.
"Of being a knob? No,” he answered.
In response to the pending investigation into Clarkson, the BBC has suspended the last three “Top Gear” episodes of this season, according to the BBC. Clarkson, in turn, has been joking on Twitter about what to replace the “Top Gear” episodes these coming Sundays.
He also apologized on Twitter, jokingly, to Labor leader Ed Miliband. The news of Clarkson’s suspension bumped down an interview with Miliband’s wife Justine.
Clarkson also retweeted this tweet by a fan. Many have not taken kindly the last episodes’ suspension. A petition on Change.org has already gathered more than half a million signatures to reinstate Clarkson.
According to the Mirror, Clarkson could leave the BBC for other networks and may take his co-hosts May and Richard Hammond with him. The hosts' contracts are up this month and they had been negotiating another before Clarkson’s suspension.
"I've been suspended haven't I? I'm just off to the job center,” he told reporters outside his London home. When asked if he regretted his actions he said, "No,” adding that he could see Chelsea play.
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