The Controller of BBC Two, Kim Shillinglaw, has said that former Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson will return to work for the network at some point in the future.
In March, the broadcaster decided not to renew Clarkson's contract after his attack on Top Gear producer Oisín Tymon.
The Press Association quotes Shillinglaw as saying: "Jeremy will be back on the BBC. It's serious and unfortunate what happened but there is no ban on Jeremy being on the BBC.
"It's a big deal what happened and Jeremy, as any human being would, needs some time."
On the subject of Clarkson's decision not to appear as a guest host on Have I Got News for You, she said: "The BBC was prepared to have him on Have I Got News for You; it wasn't the BBC's decision not to go ahead with that particular show."
Shillinglaw said that Clarkson's final Top Gear scenes would likely air in the summer, with the controller saying she wanted fans to see the "available material".
On the subject of a female replacement for Clarkson on Top Gear, the Press Association quotes her as saying: "I worked a lot with female presenters and when I used to work in science that was something across the piste that I really wanted to tackle.
"But I don't think I've ever approached an individual show thinking that was the way I want to cast it, so I think it's an open book on that."
"We'll definitely look at some women, but it's not a driving priority," she added.
