Jeremy Clarkson's controversial departure from Top Gear was "very, very sad", controller of BBC Two Kim Shillinglaw has said.
But the TV chief said she is "really excited" about the next series of the hit car show with new host Chris Evans, adding that it will be "really different".
In an interview in front of an audience at the Edinburgh International Television Festival, she said she will always be "fond" of Clarkson and his former Top Gear co-stars Richard Hammond and James May.
Clarkson's BBC contract was not renewed after he punched a member of the show's staff during a "fracas", prompting the trio to seek new ventures.
They have since tied up a big money deal to front a Top Gear-style motoring show for Amazon Prime customers.
Ms Shillinglaw said: "For me, I think it was a very sad episode in lots of ways and, for me, the biggest reminder is that you know for all this is telly, for all this is business, for all this is a competitive industry, at the end of the day it's about human beings.
"And I think it was just a very, very human situation.
"I am, and always will be, fond of Jeremy, James and Richard. Great respect for their craft skills.
"And I think it was just very, very sad, the way in which, you know human frailties, that I think you have to just as a sort of person be respectful and understanding of, became part of the story."
Ms Shillinglaw said what happened was not something that was "acceptable", adding that she does not think any other organisation would find it as such.
She said it showed that sometimes "human beings are bigger than telly".
Looking ahead to the next series, Ms Shillinglaw said she is "so excited" but also "terrified".
She said she cannot think of a better person than Evans to front the show due to his passion for cars.
"That's so important to Top Gear," she said, adding: "It's going to be different. There will be continuity but it will be really different.
"So there will be some changes to the show. And it's scary, but it's really exciting."
There has been much speculation about who will join Evans on the show, with big names such as Formula One star Jenson Button mentioned in reports.
Amazon refused to comment on speculation over reports saying Clarkson is set to earn £10 million a year for his new car show.
According to a report in The Mirror, the new deal means he would earn around £800,000 an episode, making him Britain's highest-paid TV host.
Amazon said: "We don't disclose specific details of our deals and we don't comment on speculation."
At the end of July, Amazon announced it had signed Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May to make a new car show.
The show is set to be produced by Andy Wilman, who worked with the trio on Top Gear.
The former Top Gear trio, along with Wilman, have signed on to do three seasons of their new show.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel