BBC's Jeremy Clarkson wasn't sacked over 'n-word' row because he was very sorry Top Gear presenter believed to have kept job following boss' intervention BBC director general Tony Hall claims the star was 'absolutely remorseful' Jeremy Clarkson used what sounded like the word n***** during filming He was recounting the 'eeny, meeny, miny, mo' counting rhyme off camera Jeremy Clarkson avoided the sack during the infamous n-word row because he was 'absolutely remorseful' about any suggestion or hint the word had been used, the BBC director-general says. The Top Gear presenter caused outrage in May when unaired footage showed the 54-year-old reciting the rhyme 'eeny, meeny, miny, mo' before muttering what sounded like 'catch a n***** by his toe'. In subsequent days Clarkson took to Twitter to deny he used the offensive term, before releasing a video statement saying he was "mortified and horrified" that it sounded like he had used racist language. BBC director-general Lord Tony Hall (pictured) is believed to have personally stepped in to prevent Clarkson from being sacked in the wake of the n-word incident in June In a wide-ranging interview, Lord Tony Hall, the BBC director-general, has now revealed he had long discussions about the incident but Clarkson was not sacked after he apologised. He told The Times: 'We took it very seriously and we wanted to make sure the team knew what we thought about it. Nothing was broadcast, they were absolutely remorseful about any hint that they were saying or doing anything that was racist. He then added: 'There are millions of people who feel that that Top Gear... reflects them and their interests and we've got to respect that.' Clarkson uttered what sounded like the n-word during filming of the third episode of Top Gear series 19 as the star reviewed the £25,000 Toyota GT86 and the Subaru BRZ - which cost around the same amount. Telling viewers that they may find it difficult to differentiate between the two vehicles he demonstrated how to do it using the child's counting rhyme. The video clip caused outrage and there were widespread demands he should be sacked for what was his latest indiscretion in a series of scandals. A clip from the unaired footage which shows Clarkson reciting the counting rhyme during filming Outspoken Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson has been involved in a string of controversies. Most recently, he and the Top Gear team were chased out of Argentina after angry locals reacted with fury to Clarkson's number plate containing an apparent reference to the Falklands War. The H982 FKL plate was seen locally as a veiled reference to the 1982 conflict. However, the Top Gear denied their use of it was a deliberate reference to the war, and claimed it had simply been a coincidence. In July, Ofcom ruled Clarkson deliberately used racist language by referring to an Asian man as a 'slope' during a Burma special. The Indian High Commission in London formally complained to the BBC in 2012 about a special in which Clarkson travelled round India in a Jaguar with a toilet fixed to the boot. Clarkson was also reported to have referred to the then Prime Minister Gordon Brown as a 'one-eyed Scottish idiot' in 2009. And the year before, the BBC received more than 500 complaints after he joked about lorry drivers murdering prostitutes. Clarkson also made a mock Nazi salute while talking about a Mini design that might be 'quintessentially German' and received flak after describing those who jump in front of trains as 'Johnny Suicides'. Even deputy Labour leader Harriet Harman said 'anybody who used the word 'in whatever context' should have no place at the BBC. The BBC put the presenter on a final warning over the controversy and Clarkson wrote in his newspaper column that he believed he would be sacked by the broadcaster if he made another offensive remark. In his remorseful video statement, he said he was 'mortified' and 'horrified' the unused footage appeared to show him mumbling the word. He said: 'I was mortified by this, horrified, it is a word I loath. And I did everything in my power to make sure that that version did not appear in the programme that was transmitted. Please be assured I did everything in my power to not use that word. 'And as I'm sitting here begging your forgiveness for that fact that obviously my efforts weren't quite good enough.'