Jeremy Clarkson "does not see a problem" with the racist language he has used in the making of the hit show Top Gear, the BBC's director of television says.
Danny Cohen told an audience at the Edinburgh International Festival that he had warned the presenter that he was not untouchable despite the global popularity if the show.
"It's like football clubs. No-one is bigger than the club," said Cohen. "No one show or person is bigger than the BBC and that includes me. I found (the language) entirely unacceptable."
Clarkson was criticised by the BBC Trust after a Top Gear special in which he referred to "a slope" on a bridge, which was being crossed by a Thai man.
He previously expressed regret for a an outtake from Top Gear in which he could be heard to utter the N-word while reciting the rhyme "Eenie Meenie Minee Mo".