Report Claims BBC Will Fire Jeremy Clarkson Wednesday

The Telegraph is claiming that Lord Tony Hall, the director-general of the BBC, will announce that Clarkson's relationship with the broadcaster will be terminated in the wake of his assault of producer Oisin Tymon and the ensuing internal investigation.

Lord Hall is expected to thank Clarkson for his service in building one of the Beeb's biggest and most profitable properties, calling him a "brilliant broadcaster," and according to The Telegraph, defending his on-air style. He'll add, though, that his behavior in this most recent case will not be tolerated at the government-owned network.

According to the investigation, Clarkson verbally abused Tymon for 20 minutes before attacking him. Apparently, the incident was set off after the 54-year-old host was told the hotel they were staying in had stopped serving hot food, meaning he couldn't enjoy a steak and chips (French fries, American readers) after a day of filming.

This development throws the future of Top Gear into doubt. According to The Telegraph report, BBC bosses are trying to sway Radio 2 host and Ferrari connoisseur Chris Evans to take the slot, although he's apparently been defiant so far. Replacing Clarkson may be the least of the BBC's worries, though, as both James May and Richard Hammond have said they wouldn't present the show without Clarkson.

That's doubly bad news for the BBC, as all three Top Gear hosts are facing expiring contracts, meaning that wherever Clarkson lands, it's reasonable to expect The Small One and The Slow One to follow. As for that landing place, The Telegraph seems to think Netflix could become the new home of the TG trio.