Jeremy Clarkson suspended after ‘fracas’ with colleague

A BBC spokeswoman said: “Following a fracas with a BBC producer, Jeremy Clarkson has been suspended pending an investigation.

“No one else has been suspended. Top Gear will not be broadcast this Sunday. The BBC will be making no further comment at this time.”

The 54-year-old, who has presented the motoring show since 1988, has been involved in a number of controversial gaffes over the years.

He was put on what was called a final warning last year after it was claimed that he used the n-word during filming the programme.

Clarkson was cleared of breaching the broadcasting code by Ofcom after comparing a Japanese car to people with growths on their faces.

Read more: Jeremy Clarkson - nine of his most infamous moments

Most-watched programme

Last year, Top Gear was censored by the watchdog for breaching broadcasting rules after Clarkson used a “racial” term during the programme’s Burma special.

The year ended with the motoring show’s crew forced to flee Argentina after it emerged they were using a Porsche with the registration number H982 FKL, which some people suggested could refer to the Falklands conflict of 1982.

Top Gear remains the world’s most-watched factual television programme, seen by viewers in more than 200 countries around the world.

But each episode in the two-part Christmas special attracted more 7 million viewers last year, with a further three million viewers tuning in for each episode on iPlayer.