Two weeks after the BBC announced it would let Jeremy Clarkson's contract expire, it's bringing the controversial presenter back.
The broadcaster let Clarkson go after he allegedly assaulted a producer on "Top Gear," the highly popular show Clarkson co-hosted. (Video via Sky News)
That was despite a petition calling for his reinstatement, which gathered more than one million signatures and was delivered to the BBC in a tank. (Video via ODN)
Now, the broadcaster has announced Clarkson will be back on its airwaves as guest host of its satirical quiz show "Have I Got News For You."
Clarkson has hosted the show 11 times in the past 13 years, including one time in 2008 — the BBC was quick to point out in its announcement— when he threw a pen at one of the panelists. (Video via BBC)
While the incident was relatively light-hearted, the BBC noted the pen drew blood and went on to describe the injuries suffered by the producer Clarkson allegedly attacked seven years later.
Clarkson put the BBC in a bit of a sticky situation, given "Top Gear"'s enormous popularity worldwide, and the feeling that if Clarkson goes, so does the show — including fellow presenters Richard Hammond and James May. (Video via East Coast Radio)
"Will you stay?" an interviewer asked May on Channel 5.
"Well I don't want to talk about that too much, but I think we're very much the three of us, as a package, it works for very complicated reasons that a lot of people don't fully understand," May responded.
Clarkson has long been a polarizing figure in the U.K., with critics accusing him of racism on a number of occasions, and supporters — including Prime Minister David Cameron — backing him. (Video via Channel 4)
Cameron told the BBC, "I hope this can be sorted out because it's a great program and he's a great talent."
But even if his appearance on "Have I Got News For You" doesn't herald a return to the BBC, it seems he won't be off the airwaves for long. (Video via Penguin Books)
This video includes an image from Tony Harrison / CC BY 2.0.
