Jeremy Clarkson threatened to have producer Oisin Tymon sacked before he punched him in the face during a 40-minute rant over a missing meal, his *disciplinary hearing will be told.
The Top Gear presenter allegedly ripped into his stunned colleague after arriving by helicopter at a hotel from a pub where he had been boozing heavily for several hours with co-hosts James May and Richard Hammond to find no hot food.
He called Oisin a “lazy, Irish c***” before splitting his lip with a punch that left the 36-year-old with blood running down his face and needing treatment in A&E, the BBC investigation will be told.
He also suffered dizziness, it is claimed.
One statement is to allege the presenter went nose to nose with the senior producer and barked at him: “You’ll be on the dole tomorrow. I’m going to make sure you will not have a job.”
Jeremy Clarkson jokes about punching someone in the face
But the Mirror understands Clarkson, who is suspended, will vehemently dispute using xenophobic language when he is called before the inquiry conducted by BBC Scotland head Ken MacQuarrie.
On the day of the bust-up the *controversial 54-year-old star had been filming with May and Hammond at the Top Gear studio in Dunsfold, Surrey, before being flown by helicopter to Yorkshire where more scenes were to be shot.
They had been due to arrive at 8pm.
But the trio had kept the aircraft waiting for two hours while they stayed in a local pub to drink.
Clarkson is said to have been on red wine. By the time they arrived at Simonstone Hall, near Hawes, other Top Gear staff had gone to bed, fearing a scene.
One assistant had organised *platters of cold food.
A source said: “Oisin had waited to see the presenters before going to bed, but when Clarkson arrived he was very agitated. You could hear him screaming abuse in the hotel bar. He kept saying, ‘He’s f*****g gone,’ while people tried to calm him down.”
Bob Ward and his family witnessed the furious tirade.
The 60-year-old, from Leeds, had asked Clarkson to pose with him for a selfie, but he replied: “No, not with the day I have had.”
Bob’s wife Sue claimed the host complained that it was “ridiculous here was nothing to eat” and he thought the producer had not done his job properly. She added: “Obviously there were lots of expletives in between all this.
“Clarkson told his colleague he would see to it that he would be losing his job.”
Another relative, Denise, added: “It was the shock of how can someone be so rude? It was the swearing and the length of time and this poor guy he ripped into.”
Phil Harris / Daily Mirror Jeremy Clarkson
Jeremy Clarkson leaves his West London home
After the row ended, Clarkson is believed to have been placated with a £21.95 steak cooked for him by the hotel’s general manager Robert Scott.
Oisin, who was treated at Friarage Hospital in Northallerton, is expected to give the *investigation a full account of what happened within days.
Paul Daniels – employment lawyer at Slater and Gordon – declined to comment on the fracas but said: “We are assisting Oisin Tymon in relation to *incidents occurring during his *employment with the BBC.
“I want to make it very clear that our client will not be making any statement until the BBC investigation has taken its course.”
Clarkson is being represented by law firm Olswang.
Company partner Ian Felstead said: “Olswang has no comment to make on anything.”
The BBC also declined to comment on the row.
Today we revealed Clarkson himself reported the incident to BBC director of television Danny Cohen – after he realised the rest of the team were furious over it. So far more than 800,000 people have signed a petition to save his job.
He has attracted high-profile support, with David Cameron calling him a “huge talent”.
And friends have said Clarkson is “intensely relaxed” despite the furore.
He has since joked about his position, changing his Twitter profile to read: “I am probably a presenter on the BBC2 motoring show Top Gear.”
But chat show host Jonathan Ross, no stranger to *controversy himself, told ITV’s Loose Women: “If you’re abusive to someone at work, no, that can’t be allowed.”
Jonathan Ross on the Jeremy Clarkson fracas incident
Asked if he was surprised so many back Clarkson, Wossy said: “No, because they weren’t the ones getting hit.”
Clarkson, May and Hammond are scheduled to appear at four live Top Gear shows in Norway on March 27 and 28.
A decision on whether to go ahead is expected early next week.
Their contracts with the show expire just a few days later.
The last three episodes of the series have been put on hold while the investigation continues.
If Clarkson is cleared and reinstated the programmes could be finished and shown at a later date.
The BBC today apologised to viewers who complained about the *postponed episodes.
It said many had expressed “their disappointment”. So Batman, after reading this are you still happy that you signed the petition to reinstate your buddy?
