The BBC has dropped one of its most popular presenters, Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson, two weeks after he was suspended over an altercation with a producer.
A BBC investigation found Mr Clarkson carried out a physical and verbal attack on producer Oisin Tymon, who is Irish.
He was struck, which caused swelling and bleeding to his lip.
The physical attack lasted around 30 seconds and was halted by the intervention of a witness.
North Yorkshire Police today said it had asked the BBC for its report on the incident and said action will be taken "where necessary".
In a statement, BBC Director General Tony Hall said: "I cannot condone what has happened on this occasion.
"A member of staff – who is a completely innocent party – took himself to Accident and Emergency after a physical altercation accompanied by sustained and prolonged verbal abuse of an extreme nature.
"For me a line has been crossed. There cannot be one rule for one and one rule for another dictated by either rank, or public relations and commercial considerations."
"This has obviously been difficult for everyone involved but in particular for Oisin.
"I want to make clear that no blame attaches to him for this incident. He has behaved with huge integrity throughout. As a senior producer at the BBC he will continue to have an important role within the organisation in the future."
The BBC said it would look to renew Top Gear for 2016.
In a statement this afternoon, Mr Tymon said he was grateful to the BBC for its thorough and swift investigation.
"I've worked on Top Gear for almost a decade, a programme I love. Over that time Jeremy and I had a positive and successful working relationship, making some landmark projects together," he added.
"He is a unique talent and I am well aware that many will be sorry his involvement in the show should end in this way."
The controversial star of the motoring show, which draws more than 350 million viewers around the world, will not have his contract renewed when it expires at the end of the month.
Clarkson had told fans on Twitter this morning: "Just to keep everyone up to date, I haven't heard a thing."
Just to keep everyone up to date, I haven't heard a thing.
— Jeremy Clarkson (@JeremyClarkson) March 25, 2015
Top Gear earns around €70m each year for the broadcaster's commercial arm, BBC Worldwide.
But Mr Clarkson was already on his last warning from the BBC, for whom he has worked since 1988, after drawing fire over a string of inflammatory remarks.
Most damaging for Clarkson have been accusations of using a racial slur while reciting an old nursery rhyme in leaked footage, something the presenter denied.
He was also accused of making a racially offensive comment about an Asian man.
Top Gear has regularly been criticised over its depiction and jokes at the expense of Albanians, Romanians and Germans among others.
Last year, the team fled Argentina after residents hurled stones at a Porsche Clarkson was driving whose licence plates appeared to make reference to the Falklands War.
The BBC was also forced to apologise to Mexico after the show described Mexicans as "lazy" and "feckless".
Top Gear presenter Richard Hammond today said on Twitter that he was "gutted at such a sad end to an era".
He added: "We're all three of us idiots in our different ways but it's been an incredible ride together."
