Jeremy Clarkson, a long term sufferer from foot-in-mouth syndrome, has been officially suspended from the BBC after allegedly punching a producer.
The Top Gear host was told last year he was on his last chance after reportedly using a racist word on set.
The remaining three episodes of this series’ run look unlikely to be aired, with this Sunday’s episode confirmed to be cancelled.
Clarkson seemed unworried yesterday, however, as they jokingly apologised to Ed Miliband for being the top news story of the day ahead of some positive press for Miliband:
Sorry Ed. It seems I knocked your "I'm a human" piece down the news agenda.
— Jeremy Clarkson (@JeremyClarkson) March 10, 2015
Clarkson is the face of Top Gear, so cancelling the show or continuing it without him would be dangerous for the BBC. The motoring show is one of the BBC’s biggest money-makers and in 2013 received the Guinness World Record for most-watched factual show of all time. It is aired in 212 countries across the globe and has a larger Twitter following than cult BBC show Doctor Who.
It seems unlikely Clarkson will change, so it’s a matter of whether the BBC are willing to put up with any future indiscretions.