FILE - This is a Wednesday, March 11, 2015 file photo of TV host Jeremy Clarkson as he gestures as he takes his place in the stands before the Champions League round of 16 second leg soccer match between Chelsea and Paris Saint Germain at Stamford Bridge stadium in London. The BBC said Wednesday March 25, 2015 that it has decided not to renew the contract of “Top Gear’’ host Jeremy Clarkson after a fracas with his producer. Credit: AP Photo/Matt Dunham, File

BBC decides not to renew ‘Top Gear’ host Jeremy Clarkson’s contract

LONDON – The BBC says it has decided not to renew the contract of "Top Gear" host Jeremy Clarkson after a fracas with his producer.

BBC Director-General Tony Hall said in a statement Wednesday that he decided to publish the findings that Clarkson physically and verbally attacked a producer for the program. The investigation found that the producer had to go to a hospital after the incident.

Hall says that he knows how popular the program is "and I also know that this decision will divide opinion," but that a line had been crossed in the case of Clarkson's often controversial behaviour.

Last year, Argentina's ambassador demanded an apology from the BBC after the "Top Gear" crew allegedly referenced the country's 1982 war with Britain over the Falkland Islands.

Clarkson and crew recently took the show to the B.C. interior and found themselves stuck in Trail, B.C.

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Marshall Jones

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