ITV says it handled Clarkson row ‘well’ but warns of falling ad sales

Chief executive says ‘no place on ITV’ for comments Jeremy Clarkson made in the Sun, but says brand has not been affected

ITV has insisted its reputation is intact despite the controversy over Jeremy Clarkson, as the broadcaster said it expected a steep drop in advertising sales this year as the economy weakens.

Clarkson, a former Top Gear presenter, presents ITV’s long-running gameshow Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, but he was forced to apologise over an article in the Sun in December in which he said he was dreaming of the day the Duchess of Sussex was made to parade naked in public while people threw excrement at her.