
Entertainment

Share
25th March 2015
11:45am GMT

Hall continued to say that after reviewing the evidence and interviewing victims he came to the conclusion that "Oisin Tymon was subject to an unprovoked physical and verbal attack by Jeremy Clarkson".
"The physical attack lasted around 30 seconds and was halted by the intervention of a witness," he continued, adding that "the verbal abuse was directed at Oisin Tymon on more than one occasion" and "contained the strongest expletives and threats to sack him."
The investigation also found that "The abuse was at such a volume as to be heard in the dining room", with Tymon "shocked and distressed and believed he had lost his job"
The full findings of the investigation have been published online.
Hall added that while the BBC needed "distinctive and different voices", they "cannot come at any price" and paid tribute to Clarkson's contribution to the insitution.
"I cannot condone what has happened on this occasion. A member of staff – who is a completely innocent party – took himself to Accident and Emergency after a physical altercation accompanied by sustained and prolonged verbal abuse of an extreme nature. For me a line has been crossed.
"Obviously none of us wanted to find ourselves in this position. This decision should in no way detract from the extraordinary contribution that Jeremy Clarkson has made to the BBC. I have always personally been a great fan of his work and Top Gear. Jeremy is a huge talent. He may be leaving the BBC but I am sure he will continue to entertain, challenge and amuse audiences for many years to come."
The BBC is now looking to renew Top Gear for 2016, which Hall admitted "will be a big challenge and there is no point in pretending otherwise".
Explore more on these topics:
Everyone has the same issue with The Housemaid movie
Entertainment