Ex 'Top Gear' host Jeremy Clarkson, BBC sued by punched producer

A television producer who was punched by former "Top Gear" presenter Jeremy Clarkson is suing him and the BBC for racial discrimination, the broadcaster reported Friday.

Clarkson and BBC representatives attended a hearing Friday at a London employment tribunal with Oisin Tymon which centres on alleged verbal abuse, it said.

Britain's Daily Mirror newspaper reported at the time that the row was over a missing meal and that Clarkson had called Tymon a "lazy, Irish" expletive.

The BBC's press office said in a statement on Friday: "We will be responding to this claim but will not be commenting further at this time."

Clarkson was dropped from "Top Gear", the high-profile BBC motoring show which has millions of fans worldwide, after hitting Tymon in March.

In July, it was announced that he plus co-stars James May and Richard Hammond had signed a deal with streaming service Amazon Prime to make a new series about cars.

Clarkson, 55, had reported himself to BBC management after he admitted giving Tymon a bleeding lip for which the producer sought hospital treatment.

The presenter, known for his laddish banter and love of practical jokes, had repeatedly landed in hot water with the BBC before.

Last year, the team fled Argentina after residents hurled stones at a Porsche driven by Clarkson whose licence plates appeared to refer to the Falklands War.