BBC fires Jeremy Clarkson from Top Gear
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"This was a program that had been unceremoniously cut down in its prime. What happened to Top Gear was more akin to a higher-ranking political assassination, with the ensuing media circus that followed."
— Gearknob, "How Three Idiots (Accidentally) Conquered The World: The Story of Top Gear, Part 2"[1]
Jeremy Clarkson is an English TV presenter and car enthusiast famous for hosting BBC's automotive magazine and TV series Top Gear. Clarkson initially joined Top Gear during its original run in 1988, before retiring from the program in 1999. Following the original show's cancellation in 2001, he would soon rejoin the program by producing its revival in 2002 with Andy Wilman and appearing as host alongside Richard Hammond and Jason Dawe, the latter of whom was replaced by James May after 2002. Clarkson, Hammond, and May continued to host the program until 2015.
On March 25, 2015, two weeks after the airing of the 7th episode of the 22nd season, the BBC's director-general Tony Hall announced that Jeremy Clarkson's contract for the show would not be renewed after he got into an argument with assistant producer Oisin Tymon over lack of hot meals and punched him. As physical violence between employees is a big no-no for the BBC's employee ethics code, Clarkson was dismissed (in other words, fired) from Top Gear.
Top Gear had its share of controversies during the Clarkson, Hammond, and May era, but this incident (or 'fracas' as the BBC labeled it) proved to be the final straw for the BBC. The dismissal resulted in a massive backlash across the UK, with numerous fans protesting and making a petition to renew Jeremy Clarkson's contract, which was signed by over a million people, including then-Prime Minister David Cameron. Some people were supportive of Clarkson's firing, such as Chris Goffey, who was a former presenter during the original run of Top Gear and MotorWeek, and others, like Jason Dawe, a former presenter of Clarkson-era Top Gear during the first season before being replaced by James May, thought that Clarkson's firing from Top Gear could potentially open up space for a new car-focused show.
Despite the petition, the BBC chose not to renew Clarkson's contract. This resulted in the show being put on hiatus and numerous planned episodes getting canceled, including celebrity appearances from Keanu Reeves and Henry Cavill. In addition, BBC insisted that Top Gear will continue without Clarkson's involvement. They also removed Clarkson, Hammond, and May's faces from the top banner on Top Gear's official website in light of Clarkson's firing, leaving only The Stig visible on the banner.
3 months later, on June 28, James May and Richard Hammond would make their final appearance as presenters on Top Gear, consisting of two films shot before Clarkson's dismissal, which also marks Jeremy Clarkson's final appearance on the show. During the episode's ending, May and Hammond bid the viewers goodbye as opposed to the usual goodnight, signifying that they will not be returning.
After the season 22 finale of Top Gear, Richard Porter, Andy Wilman, Richard Hammond, and James May retired from the program, and they joined Clarkson in forming a new motoring series, The Grand Tour, which began airing on Amazon Prime in November of 2016. In the meantime, BBC would relaunch Top Gear with a set of new hosts.
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