Jeremy Clarkson has been suspended from for allegedly punching one of the show’s producers.
The current season of the BBC show has been cut short as Clarkson continues to serve his suspension, and though he has yet to make an official statement regarding the alleged reasons behind his punishment, he told The Sun: “I’m having a nice cold pint and waiting for this to blow over.”
The BBC is expected to scrap the rest of the episodes in the current series, with a statement from the broadcaster reading: “Following a fracas with a BBC producer, Jeremy Clarkson has been suspended pending an investigation.
“No one else has been suspended. Top Gear will not be broadcast this Sunday. The BBC will be making no further comment at this time.”
A Change.org petition has inevitably already been set up in order to convince the BBC to reinstate Clarkson, with over 270,000 already signing it. Weirdly, the majority of Clarkson’s supporters seem to believe that this is a fight against “political correctness”, despite Clarkson’s suspension not being a result of one of his frequent bigoted outbursts. Perhaps these people are confusing this incident with the previous call to have him removed from the show, following video footage emerging of him reciting an old, racist rhyme in which the word “n*****” was used, which itself followed an episode of the show in which he used a racially offensive term to describe an Asian man. That darn political correctness, always getting in the way of bigotry!
Clarkson’s use of the “n-word” was said to have been his final warning, so it remains to be seen whether or not the BBC will oust him from his position or, as will most likely be the case, simply put him on a few days of unpaid leave.
Speaking of the suspension, Clarkson’s Top Gear co-host James May stated that it “happened over dinner”, saying: “I think he has been involved in a bit if a dust up, but I don’t think it’s that serious.”
Photo: Getty Images
