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Jeremy Clarkson has been back to the BBC to help finish the Top Gear series which was pulled after his “fracas” with a producer became public.

The presenter, who punched colleague Oisin Tymon in a row over a hot dinner, was later axed from the long-running motoring series.

But last week he was allowed to return for one final session, in which he provided a voiceover for the one-off special.

It will contain the films from the remaining three episodes of the series, which had been due to air in March.

(Image: topgear.com)

Clarkson, 55, was ousted by BBC director general Tony Hall who ruled that his contract could not be renewed following his conduct.

Hall said at the time: “There cannot be one rule for one and one rule for another dictated by either rank, or public relations and commercial considerations.”

But the BBC confirmed today that Clarkson recorded a voiceover to go with unseen footage previously filmed for Top Gear before he was axed.

While James May and Richard Hammond filmed the links for the special at the Top Gear track in Surrey earlier this month, Clarkson will not appear other than in the films.

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The special, due to be screened on BBC2 in the next few weeks, is likely to be the trio’s swansong on the show.

Today a BBC spokeswoman confirmed that Clarkson was helping to get his last Top Gear on the air.

“He has done the voiceover for Top Gear. He came in to the BBC the week before last. He didn’t get paid to do it.

"Even though this happened after his contract was not renewed, it falls under his old contract.”

She added: “He is not banned from appearing on the BBC.”

(Image: topgear.com)

In the special episode, Clarkson and his co-hosts become “lifestyle leisure enthusiasts”.

Given a budget of £250 each, the trio buy three used “lifestyle” SUVs - a Vauxhall Frontera, a Jeep Cherokee and a Mitsubishi Shogun - and then embark on a series of challenges that include battling with the Stig’s “leisure activity cousin” and a race in which the loser has to deliver a nerve-racking after-dinner speech.

BBC chiefs are attempting to woo back Hammond and May by doubling their pay to £1million.

The presenters have also held talks with Netflix and ITV, along with Clarkson and former executive producer Andy Wilman.