text: Former Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson has decided against hosting BBC's Have I Got News For You later this month. The TV personality was due to record the show, which he has hosted in the past, on April 23 to be broadcast the following day. The recording would have marked his first appearance for the BBC since being dismissed for hitting Top Gear producer Oisin Tymon in a 'fracas' at a hotel over dinner. Scroll down for video . Jeremy Clarkson will not be hosting an episode of Have I Got News For You later this month, according to the show's producers, though they expect him to return to the show later in the year . Jimmy Mulville, managing director of Hat Trick Productions, 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.' Clarkson had been a regular feature on BBC television since taking over Top Gear in 1988 from previous producer Noel Edmonds. He is credited with taking the show from being a niche motoring programme to the most watched series on BBC 2. The hosting slot would have marked Clarkson's first appearance on the BBC since he was dismissed from Top Gear for hitting producer Oisin Tymon . His brash presenting style and refusal to bow to PC culture earned him legions of admirers and critics, and controversy dogged his career. He was put on a 'final warning' after allegedly saying a racial slur on air while reciting a nursery rhyme, and drew more unwanted attention after the Top Gear team were kicked out of Argentina last year while filming a Christmas special. Clarkson's car had a numberplate which was thought to be a deliberate reference the Falklands war, though the BBC denied this. He was suspended by the broadcaster on March 10 when reported himself to the corporation following a row in which producer Oisin Tymon was punched, splitting his lip. Following a week-long investigation, director-general Tony Hall decided against renewing his contract saying at the time 'a line has been crossed'. Despite Clarkson's unruly behaviour, he received an outpouring of public support, including from his friend and Prime Minister, David Cameron, while a million people signed a petition asking for him to be reinstated. Despite Top Gear being taken off the air, Clarkson has not been banned from appearing on the BBC altogether, and so speculation fell on his Have I Got News For You appearance. The car enthusiast also has a controversial history on that programme, once throwing a pen at team captain and Private Eye editor Ian Hislop, cutting his cheek. Clarkson has vowed to keep working after being dismissed from the BBC, and will appear on stage for a series of live motoring shows with former colleagues Richard Hammond and James May. It emerged last week that he 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. Clarkson turned himself in to BBC bosses following the dust-up, and after an investigation director-general Tony Hall decided against renewing his contract . However, Clarkson is not banned from appearing on the BBC altogether, meaning he could have fulfilled his commitment to host the satirical news show, but has since withdrawn . The gigs will be stripped of all BBC branding and content, and billed as Clarkson, Hammond and May Live. That means the shows, which will take in venues in Australia, Norway, South Africa and the UK, will not be able to use clips from the show or feature The Stig. 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 also having run out. Since Clarkson's future was decided, May has been seen meeting with BBC head of content Alan Yentob, though the details of what were discussed have not been revealed.
target: Clarkson was due to host satirical news show at the end of this month .
  Would have been first BBC appearance since dismissal from Top Gear .
  However producers today confirmed he has withdrawn from show .