Jeremy Clarkson will have to find a job elsewhere.
The controversial host of the BBC's popular, long-running automotive series "Top Gear" has been let go by the network, and the show's future now appears uncertain.
In a statement released by the network's leader Tony Hall, it was revealed Clarkson's contract will not be renewed and that the network "must now look to renew 'Top Gear' for 2016."
The show has been a ratings giant for BBC for over 30 years, airing in over 100 countries and claiming viewership of over 350 million people weekly. It's perhaps because of those numbers that Hall remarked the decision to let Clarkson go was made "with great regret" and was done so "only after a very careful consideration of the facts."
Clarkson has been a lightning rod for controversy in his 26 years as a "Top Gear" host, often leading to apologies being made on his behalf by BBC officials. His ousting comes two weeks after he was suspended for allegedly punching Oisin Tymon, one of the show's producers.
"I respect Lord Hall's detailed findings and I am grateful to the BBC for their thorough and swift investigation into this very regrettable incident," Tymon wrote in a statement Wednesday. "I've worked on 'Top Gear' for almost a decade, a program I love."
Tymon went on to describe his relationship with Clarkson as a "positive and successful" one but noted he is "well aware that many will be sorry his involvement in the show should end in this way."
BBC tweeted Hall's full statement on the matter.
Full BBC statement on Jeremy Clarkson & Top Gear http://t.co/FsUF4uqnQzpic.twitter.com/PtFkxha47M
— BBC Breaking News (@BBCBreaking) March 25, 2015
Clint Davis is a writer for the E.W. Scripps National Desk. Follow him on Twitter @MrClintDavis.
