A man dressed as Top Gear’s Stig has delivered a petition to the BBC’s London headquarters in a tank to call for the return of the show’s host, Jeremy Clarkson.
The large military vehicle aimed its gun at New Broadcasting House in Marylebone.
Man dressed as the Stig arrives at BBC in a tank calling for Clarkson's return to Top Gear https://t.co/jNS4XrTIrP by @NeilLancefield
— Joe Pickover (@JPickover) March 20, 2015
Clarkson, 54, has been suspended since it emerged he was involved in what the BBC called 'a fracas' with one of the show’s producers.
Last night he launched an expletive-laden broadside against the corporation’s executives, who he claimed are about to sack him.
(Lauren Hurley/PA)
The petition, created by the Guido Fawkes website, has been signed by one million people.
Harry Cole, the site’s Westminster bureau chief, said: “We are not defending him. We are saying don’t punish the viewers, don’t punish the fans of Top Gear.
Clarkson protestors arrive in a tank at the BBC this morning https://t.co/jw44ow7Kvc
— Eddie Tomalin (@eddietomalin) March 20, 2015
“Punish Jeremy Clarkson all you want, but don’t pull Top Gear off the air because it is not fair to the millions of people who love him.” He added: “We are representing the silent majority of Top Gear viewers.”
The petition was received in a white box by a BBC employee.
Clarkson revealed he wanted to do 'one last ever lap' of the Top Gear test track as he was talking on stage at a charity gala for young people at the Roundhouse in north London.
In video footage obtained by the Daily Mirror, Clarkson said: “I thought, OK, I’ll go down to Surrey and I’ll do one last lap of that track before the f****** b******* sack me.”
Top Gear presenters Richard Hammond, James May and Jeremy Clarkson (Gareth Fuller/PA)
Clarkson’s future on the BBC is likely to be decided next week when the corporation’s internal investigation into his behaviour is handed over to the director-general.
He was suspended after allegedly punching producer Oisin Tymon during a row – which took place after filming – over a hot meal at a hotel.
The last episodes of the series have been postponed, causing the BBC to lose millions of viewers and receive thousands of complaints.
Both Clarkson and Tymon have given their evidence to the corporation’s inquiry.
