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| BBC should have tried to keep Jeremy Clarkson, says ex-director general BBC should have tried to keep Jeremy Clarkson, says ex-director general | |
| (about 11 hours later) | |
| The BBC should have tried to keep hold of Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson whose talent they could ill afford to lose, former director general Mark Thompson has said. | The BBC should have tried to keep hold of Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson whose talent they could ill afford to lose, former director general Mark Thompson has said. |
| While Clarkson could be a “deeply objectionable character”, he “spoke to people who didn’t find much else at the BBC”, Thompson said in an interview with the Sunday Times Magazine. | While Clarkson could be a “deeply objectionable character”, he “spoke to people who didn’t find much else at the BBC”, Thompson said in an interview with the Sunday Times Magazine. |
| Clarkson was fired from the motoring show in March last year following a “fracas” with a producer, while James May and Richard Hammond quit in solidarity. | Clarkson was fired from the motoring show in March last year following a “fracas” with a producer, while James May and Richard Hammond quit in solidarity. |
| The trio will launch new Amazon Prime show The Grand Tour in the autumn. | The trio will launch new Amazon Prime show The Grand Tour in the autumn. |
| “Clarkson can be a deeply objectionable individual, and I say that as a friend,” Thompson told the Sunday Times. | “Clarkson can be a deeply objectionable individual, and I say that as a friend,” Thompson told the Sunday Times. |
| “I don’t think people should punch their colleagues. It’s hard to keep them if they do.” | “I don’t think people should punch their colleagues. It’s hard to keep them if they do.” |
| He added: “But I would say his pungent, transgressive, slightly out-of-control talent was something the BBC could ill afford to lose. | He added: “But I would say his pungent, transgressive, slightly out-of-control talent was something the BBC could ill afford to lose. |
| “He spoke to people who didn’t find much else in the BBC.” | “He spoke to people who didn’t find much else in the BBC.” |
| A rebooted Top Gear was launched following Clarkson’s departure, fronted by Radio 2 presenter Chris Evans and former Friends star Matt LeBlanc, but it was a ratings flop. | A rebooted Top Gear was launched following Clarkson’s departure, fronted by Radio 2 presenter Chris Evans and former Friends star Matt LeBlanc, but it was a ratings flop. |
| The show initially attracted 4.4 million overnight viewers, plummeting to 2.8 million for the second episode. The show never went back above that figure. | The show initially attracted 4.4 million overnight viewers, plummeting to 2.8 million for the second episode. The show never went back above that figure. |
| Thompson left the BBC in 2012 to work as chief executive at the New York Times. | Thompson left the BBC in 2012 to work as chief executive at the New York Times. |
| A self-confessed Top Gear fan, he described LeBlanc’s performance in the revamped series as “promising”. | A self-confessed Top Gear fan, he described LeBlanc’s performance in the revamped series as “promising”. |
| He described Evans as a “great broadcaster” but said: “I couldn’t work out why he didn’t impersonate Chris Evans, rather than Jeremy Clarkson.” | He described Evans as a “great broadcaster” but said: “I couldn’t work out why he didn’t impersonate Chris Evans, rather than Jeremy Clarkson.” |