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Clarkson Pulls Out Of BBC Panel Show Appearance

Clarkson Pulls Out Of BBC Panel Show Appearance

Jeremy Clarkson has pulled out of a planned appearance hosting the BBC satirical show Have I Got News For You.

The former Top Gear star had been cleared by the corporation to appear later this month, which would have been his first BBC appearance since he was sacked over an attack on a producer .

Jimmy Mulville, managing director of Hat Trick Productions which makes the show, said: "On reflection, Jeremy Clarkson has decided not to host Have I Got News For You. We fully expect him to resume his hosting duties later in the year."

The show was due to be recorded on April 23 and broadcast the following evening.

Clarkson was suspended from Top Gear on March 10 when the BBC launched an internal investigation into an altercation with his colleague on the show Oisin Tymon.

Mr Tymon was left with a split lip and received a torrent of verbal abuse during the 30-second assault on 4 March.

BBC director-general Tony Hall decided not to renew the presenter's contract, saying "a line has been crossed" and "there can not be one rule for one and one rule for another".

But a BBC spokeswoman this week confirmed the Have I Got News For You appearance could go ahead, adding: "Jeremy's contract has not been renewed on Top Gear but he isn't banned from appearing on the BBC.

Clarkson will appear on stage with his former Top Gear colleagues, Richard Hammond and James May, later this year to fulfil a series of shows planned before he left the BBC.

The gigs in Australia, Norway, South Africa and the UK will be stripped of all BBC branding and content, and billed as Clarkson, Hammond and May Live.

The move has sparked rumours that the three men intend to team up to continue their careers together after Clarkson's exit from the corporation, but sources close to the tour say it is just a matter of fulfilling commitments to the fans.

The future of the show's other two presenters - Hammond and May - is unclear, with both men's Top Gear contracts having run out.