Suspended: Jeremy Clarkson, pictured today, is said to be 'intensely relaxed' over the BBC investigation into whether he punched a Top Gear producert

The BBC has been slammed as demonstrating 'sheer incompetence' in its handling of Jeremy Clarkson's suspension as it emerged the Top Gear star turned himself in to bosses following the row which may have cost him his job.

The presenter is being threatened with the sack after an apparent 'dust-up' with Oisin Tymon over being offered a 'cold platter' instead of a steak at a luxury hotel in Yorkshire.

He is said to have 'smacked' the producer in the face and was described by witnesses as 'ripping into' him in an expletive-ridden rant.

While the 54-year-old has not spoken publicly about the incident, friends have claimed he feels 'intensely relaxed' about the situation after turning himself in to director Danny Cohen.

He will soon face a disciplinary panel where both his and Mr Tymon's account of the story will be heard.

The BBC has faced fierce criticism of its handling of the fiasco, with former presenter Noel Edmonds lambasting its 'sheer incompetence'.

Today it was claimed Clarkson, who declined to speak about the row outside his London home yesterday, approached bosses himself about the row.

It is not clear whether this was done at the behest of disgruntled Top Gear staff upset with his alleged treatment of Tymon or not, though the Daily Mirror reports the presenter was 'acting in self interest.'

'There's no way he'd be putting his hand up if he didn't think it was going to get out and become a big issue,' a source told the newspaper.

Former BBC star Noel Edmonds said today the corporation had 'failed appallingly' to support 'mercurial talent' Clarkson, and accused bosses of 'punishing' loyal Top Gear viewers by pulling the last three episodes of this series.

But Mr Clarkson, who first approached BBC bosses himself a few days after the row, is said to feel confident he will be exonerated at a disciplinary panel.

He reportedly phoned Danny Cohen to report the incident himself despite their reportedly fraught relationship.

'It is staggering that Jeremy thought it was sensible to bring this to the attention of Danny Cohen who hates his guts,' a source told the Sun.

During the phone call the star also reportedly denied the row had been started over him being unable to have a steak for dinner.

The BBC earlier declined to comment on claims it had mishandled Clarkson's suspension.

More than 800,000 fans have signed an online petition demanding the presenter be reinstated, and Prime Minister David Cameron has waded into the row, saying he hoped it could be 'sorted out' without the BBC sacking him.

Meanwhile the BBC's rivals would be eager to lure him.

ITV is in urgent need of a major new entertainment show to boost its flagging ratings, especially because it has lost the rights to air the Champions League Football tournament.

Sky and Netflix have also been tipped as potential new homes for him.

Andy Wilman, Top Gear's executive producer and long-term friend of Clarkson was today in talks with ITV at its central London offices, a source told MailOnline.

While ITV has not confirmed whether the meeting took place an insider insisted it was not to do with the ongoing row.

Among the BBC's critics is Noel Edmonds who told the Guardian that the Corporation had completely mishandled the situation.

He said: 'You have to laugh at the sheer incompetence of BBC management.

'The BBC have failed to manage one of the best talents on TV. That is pointing the finger at Danny Cohen (head of TV), Tony Hall (Director General). Whoever is in senior management has failed appallingly to give Clarkson the support that such a mercurial talent requires.

'Over the last 20 years of appalling BBC management, viewers have come second in the BBC agenda. In the recent era (there) has been inability to manage talent. Without talent, a very large part of is worthless.'

He added the Corporation was 'out of touch' and 'out of control' and questioned whether bosses were equipped to deal with someone of Clarkson's repute.

'What are their qualifications?

‘I don’t understand what their qualifications are to handle someone like Jeremy Clarkson and even understand the appeal of Top Gear. What on their CVs means they can understand how to handle truly talented broadcasters?’

‘Somebody of Clarkson’s status is a brand and he should have had full support from skilled and experienced brand managers.’

The presenter is being threatened with the sack after an apparent 'dust-up' with one of his producers, Oisin Tymon, over being offered only a 'cold platter' for dinner at a luxury hotel.

According to a witness, Clarkson demanded a £21.95 sirloin steak from the restaurant menu after a long day of filming and became irate when he was told that the hotel's chef had gone home.

One said: 'It was suggested he could have a cheese platter, a meat platter, soup, or another bar snack, but he was not having it'.

A family who were in the hotel bar when the Top Gear team arrived said they were shocked by the outburst.

Speaking to Sky News, Sue Ward, who was staying in the Yorkshire Dales hotel with her family, said: '(He said) that (the man) hadn't done his job properly, that it was ridiculous there was nothing to eat, and, obviously there were lots of expletives in between all this, but that he would be losing his job,' said Sue Ward.

'(He said) that he would see to it that he would lose his job.'

Denise Ward, who also witnessed the incident, added: 'How can someone be so rude, the swearing and the length of time... this poor guy that he was ripping in to.'

The millionaire today changed his Twitter profile to read he was 'probbaly' (sic) the presenter of Top Gear and was asked last night if he feared the sack and said: 'Well it's coming, isn't it?'

24 hours ago his biography said: 'I am a presenter on the BBC2 motoring show, Top Gear'.

This afternoon he refused to comment on his future as he arrived back home to his luxury west London penthouse .

He smiled but stayed silent when asked whether he wanted to stay with the BBC.

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All change: The millionaire was asked if he feared the sack and said: 'Well it's coming, isn't it?' and today his Twitter profile was changed to say he was 'probbaly' (sic) the presenter of Top Gear

Fracas: Jeremy Clarkson allegedly 'smacked' Top Gear assistant producer Oisin Tymon, 36, (believed to be pictured far left on a trip to China) because there was no hot food available, only a 'cold platter', after filming

Criticism: Noel Edmonds, who was once the BBC's biggest star, said that Director General Tony Hall and Head of TV Danny Cohen had 'failed appallingly' to support 'mercurial talent' Jeremy Clarkson

Support: More than 800,000 Clarkson fans have signed a petition demanding the BBC reinstate Clarkson

Last night Mr Clarkson was seen venting his frustration at Chelsea's Champions League match and is likely to be hauled before the BBC's disciplinary panel by the end of the week.

The BBC launched an investigation into the incident on Tuesday, five days after the 'fracas', and pulled the last three episodes of this series of Top Gear off air.

Stars including Gary Lineker, Keanu Reeves and Superman actor Henry Cavill were all due to film the 'Star in a reasonably priced car' segment in the coming weeks but have been told these have been 'postponed indefinitely'.

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The BBC could face a huge bill from the foreign broadcasters it sells the show to for failing to deliver a full series.

Last night sources at the BBC suggested that its director of TV, Danny Cohen, has seized on the incident as the reason he needs to oust the controversial figure.

Insiders have said that Mr Cohen, who will help decide Clarkson's fate, is 'out to get' the star.

Director General Tony Hall has today refused to 'speculate' on Jeremy Clarkson's future and said the BBC's internal investigation would 'get the people who are impacted by this together'.

He said: 'There is a lot of speculation, we have got to establish the facts and I intend to do that before we come to a final decision. That is what we are about to do.'

Clarkson has admitted there was 'handbags and pushing' over the incident, which took place at Simonstone Hall Hotel in North Yorkshire, but denies claims that he punched Mr Tymon.

The production team had been scheduled to take a helicopter to their next location after filming, and return to the hotel at 8pm last Wednesday.

However, Clarkson kept the helicopter waiting for three hours while he sat in a pub drinking rose wine, Channel 4 reported.

Co-star James May said yesterday: 'I have said many times before the man is a knob, but I quite like him. It's all getting a bit ridiculous'.

Asked what he could remember about the row, May said: 'Not very much, I was blind drunk.'

Dinner service was cancelled by kitchen staff because the crew were two hours late. Clarkson is then understood to have become embroiled in a row about the dinner with Mr Tymon, whom he blamed for the mix-up.

One witness said Clarkson had wanted a sirloin steak with fondant potatoes, pan-fried wild mushrooms, grilled cherry tomatoes and pink peppercorn sauce for £21.95.

Instead he and the other BBC staff were offered a pre-prepared cold platter or something from the bar menu like soup of the day, which led to the presenter ranting: 'So there's no food?', one onlooker said.

Emotive: Clarkson watched the football at Stamford Bridge this evening after earlier joking that he was 'off to the Job Centre' following his suspension from the BBC

Famished: The star had demanded this £21.95 steak and fondant potatoes at the Simonside Hall Hotel in North Yorkshire, but became upset when he was only offered a plate of cold-cuts or a cheese platter

Luxury: The Top Gear crew spent several nights here in Hawes last week while filming but returned too late for a hot meal. Eventually the manager cooked Clarkson a steak

He told the Daily Mirror: 'When they arrived after 10pm Clarkson got angry.

'We were surprised at his reaction because we were all thinking 'surely soup is food'.'

'It was more like a scuffle. But he did swear using every bad word you could think of.'

In the end the general manager cooked the Top Gear star a steak himself, which he ate in a private dining room.

The BBC had taken all 18 rooms at the hotel for a week, costing £5,600, with Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond being given the suites and production crew getting the rest.

One worker told The Times: 'When Jeremy Clarkson left he thanked us for a nice stay, and said, 'It's been really pleasant, apart from the obvious'. I would describe his behaviour as a child's tantrum rather than anything violent'.

Director general Lord Hall said yesterday that he will have personal oversight of the investigation, and will decide what to do with Clarkson 'based on the facts'.

He said: 'I am a fan of Jeremy Clarkson but this is a serious thing that is alleged to have taken place.'

Mr Cameron said yesterday: 'He's a huge talent. Because he is such a huge talent and he amuses and entertains so many people, including my children, who'd be heartbroken if Top Gear was taken off air, I hope this can be sorted out.'

Top Gear presenter: The BBC suspended Jeremy Clarkson (pictured outside his west London home today, left) following a 'fracas' with assistant producer Oisin Tymon, 36, (right), during an alleged row over dinner

Nick Clegg said the decision over Clarkson's future was for BBC bosses alone.

The Deputy Prime Minister told LBC: 'The guy's obviously incredibly popular and the show that he does provides entertainment to millions of people, but who is responsible for determining whether he carries on or not is his employers.

'I don't know what happened in this cold/hot meal fracas. I don't know what happened. A punch-up is apparently what happened.'

CLARKSON TO BE HAULED BEFORE BBC HIGH COMMAND THIS WEEK Jeremy Clarkson will be summoned to a top London hotel this week to explain his part in 'steak-gate'. The Top Gear star, who could walk out on the BBC this month, will face the corporation's disciplinary panel, where producer Oisin Tymon could be called to give evidence. The panel will be chaired by Ken MacQuarrie, head of BBC Scotland, who was previously called in to manage the fall-out when Newsnight wrongly branded Tory peer Lord McAlpine a paedophile. Clarkson will be sent a summons by post today and will be asked to explain what happened by the end of tomorrow or Saturday. Mr MacQuarrie will quiz Mr Tymon separately as well as other members of the Top Gear team. A source confirmed that staff at Simonstone Hall would be contacted to hear their version of events. Head of TV Danny Cohen and Director General Tony Hall will also have a final say on whether he is sacked or saved. But Mr Clarkson may choose to walk away before any decision is made as his contract expires at the end of the month. He has apparently told a friend that 'a weight has been lifted from his shoulders' after the latest scandal. Advertisement

He added: 'He is an employee of the BBC, they are his boss and so if they think he has done something wrong ... then it is for them to decide.'

Asked if he enjoyed the show, Mr Clegg replied: 'I quite like it, yes. It makes me laugh.'

Ukip leader Nigel Farage told LBC: 'I'm quite certain that if, as Ukip party leader, I punched one of our officials, I think I would be in considerable hot water.

'I do enjoy Top Gear, it's very entertaining. Deliberately provocative and controversial and whenever I sit down and watch it I always laugh.'

Asked if he could replace Clarkson, he replied: 'It's a lovely idea.'

Clarkson did not appear to be taking the incident very seriously. He joked that he was 'off to the Job Centre' as he left his London home yesterday.

The presenter's daughter Em Clarkson also tweeted: 'Oh God, BBC please take him back. He's started cooking.'

The BBC's rivals would be eager to lure him.

ITV is in urgent need of a major new entertainment show to boost its flagging ratings, especially because it has lost the rights to air Champions League football. Sky and Netflix have also been tipped as potential new homes for him.

He can well afford to walk away – he was paid £8.4million for his stake in a joint venture with BBC Worldwide which exploits Top Gear's global brand, on top of a £4.86million dividend payment.

The BBC has given him a number of warnings over his behaviour.

Last year, he was forced to apologise after he was filmed allegedly using the N-word in the nursery rhyme 'Eeny, meeny, miny, moe'.

Then, the host and his crew had to flee Argentina when locals objected to a Porsche on the show with the number plate H982 FKL, taken to refer to the 1982 Falklands War.

The Corporation is expected to axe him if the investigation finds him guilty of assaulting Mr Tymon.

Mr Cohen, director of TV, has been desperate to get rid of him for some time and will be happy that he now has 'the excuse', insiders claimed.

Sources close to Clarkson told the Radio Times that his relationship with key BBC executives has become so bad that he is considering quitting even if he is cleared of the allegations against him.

James May (pictured above in west London today) confirmed that Clarkson was involved in 'a bit of dust up'

Fury: Top Gear fans have aimed criticism at the BBC for their handling of the latest Clarkson scandal

At the heart of the issue is the fact that Clarkson and his best friend from his Repton schooldays Andy Wilman have been in charge of the show since 2002, and it has been created in their own very bloke-ish image.

CLARKSON'S ROWS OVER BREAKFAST, LUNCH AND DINNER Jeremy Clarkson has a track record of losing his temper over food, most recently on a trip to Liverpool. In his Sunday Times column last month he mocked a restaurant and hotel in Liverpool because staff didn't know what a kipper or Tabasco sauce was. He wrote that ordering rosé wine in England's sixth city 'is like a Liverpudlian strolling into the Savoy at teatime, in a shellsuit, and demanding seven pints of vodka. He's going to be shown the door'. The 54-year-old said that on previous visits to the city, he heard constant burglar alarms during the night, witnessed a knifeman 'run amok' in a restaurant and found a 'dead' girl in his hotel corridor, which led to complaints by the mayor calling him an 'oaf and a buffoon'. In 2013 he blew his top after a hard day in Australia while eating on a night out. Clarkson was at a Sydney Harbour restaurant with up to ten companionsto find photographers waiting. Clarkson said: 'How did they know? Someone at the restaurant's told them.' The presenter threatened to leave the restaurant but the group were persuaded to stay. However, Clarkson still vented his anger. Singling out a photographer he said: 'That bald-headed bloke, I was getting ready to throw him in the river.' A representative for the Top Gear star told the paparazzi: 'You're the reason we won't come back to Australia.' And in 2011 he was involved in an alleged altercation in Melbourne over lunch, where he apparently 'squared-up' to a fan. Michael Garner claimed Clarkson was furious when he took several photos of him and James May as they ate, leading to his phone being confiscated. He said: 'He (Clarkson) went back to his seat, I got up to get my phone back – went over and asked for it back. She (a female friend) handed it to me, and in the meantime Clarkson has stormed over and 'shirt–fronted' me – he's virtually put his chest up to mine.' Advertisement

Wilman, who is the executive producer of the show, told Broadcast magazine only in January: 'They don't trust us at heart.'

This state of semi-detachment between the BBC and those who make one of its most popular shows naturally means that it is more likely that Clarkson will go.

A senior BBC executive claimed: 'Everyone is convinced he will now go. Clarkson is widely despised and there are a lot of people who would be thrilled to see him go.

'He is viewed as, well, someone called him a 'complete tool'. He has always been his own worst enemy.

'He is incredibly arrogant – he delights in going too far. The point is that the show has been so powerful that he didn't have to care about what anyone else thought.'

The source went on: 'To give an idea of how popular it is globally, when we were launching BBC Worldwide there was an idea seriously entertained that we would call the channel Top Gear TV. His popularity has allowed him to hold the BBC to ransom for years.'

Another source said: 'There is genuine suspicion of Top Gear on Danny Cohen's part. Andy Wilman is very clear that he's told off too much by the BBC, and when he says the BBC, I think he means Cohen.'

Cerebral, metropolitan and painfully right-on, Mr Cohen has previously tried to take disciplinary action against Clarkson after the presenter used the racist term 'slope' on its Burma special last year, but was overruled by Lord Hall.

The director general will be acutely aware of the financial impact losing Clarkson would have. Top Gear is hugely successful around the world, bringing in around £50million in revenue every year.

The Top Gear name and format is owned by the BBC, but it is so closely associated with Clarkson that insiders are unsure how useful it would be without him.

Lord Hall must weigh that against the BBC's editorial reputation. 'It's looking terminal for the show,' added another source. 'It's entirely a management issue. Or non-management.

'The BBC has no strong managers so Clarkson and Wilman were left to do what they wanted.'

A TV executive, who is close to both Cohen and Hall, said of Cohen: 'If he wants something, he usually gets it.'

Maria Miller, the former culture secretary, said the BBC needed to get better at managing 'larger than life' characters. She called Clarkson a 'legend'.

Auntie's high priest of political correctness

Danny Cohen pictured with his wife Noreena Hertz

If Danny Cohen had not forged a career in television, he might have done well in politics.

The BBC director of television is expert at skirting controversy, helping him to chart an ascent that has been nothing short of meteoric.

At 33, he became boss of BBC3, pedalling 'yoof' shows with trashy titles such as Snog Marry Avoid, **** Off, I'm A Hairy Woman, and Hotter Than My Daughter.

It was an odd fit for the Oxford-educated television executive, who is described by colleagues as serious and cerebral.

But Mr Cohen, who is also supremely ambitious, knew that it was necessary for him to get ahead.

His plan worked and he was soon promoted to run BBC1, becoming – at 36 – its youngest-ever controller.

A few years later, he became director of television, earning £327,000 a year. The next goal, friends say, is to succeed Lord Tony Hall as director general.

Certainly, Mr Cohen has the impeccable liberal credentials that usually go hand in hand with the top job at the BBC. The 41-year-old executive is married to Noreena Hertz, a beautiful Cambridge economics professor six years his elder.

The pair have spent years living together in Bohemian splendour in North London, forming one of the area's most impressive power duos.

When the couple married in March 2012, actress Rachel Weisz was a bridesmaid, and the guest list included Charles Saatchi and Nigella Lawson.

At the BBC, Mr Cohen does his best to avoid offence, often by speaking in television jargon or metaphors – he famously once described BBC3 as a 'young dolphin'. He has also made it his business to champion ethnic diversity at the BBC, backing controversial quotas to make sure more minorities are hired.

All of which goes some way to explaining why Mr Cohen is less willing than some of his BBC colleagues to tolerate Jeremy Clarkson's outrageous and sometimes racist behaviour.

'He's quite a moral character, so it is very uncomfortable for him,' said a friend.

But was his eagerness to evict Clarkson from the BBC entirely down to a strong moral compass? Perhaps Mr Cohen's personal ego and fierce ambition are very much at play here too.

The BBC's golden boy wanted to suspend or sack Clarkson last year, after he used the racist word 'slope' on a Top Gear special in Burma. However, Mr Cohen was overruled by Lord Hall, forcing him to let Clarkson off with a 'final' warning. 'It was humiliating for him,' said a colleague.

It is not the first time Mr Cohen's ego has been bruised of course, nor that he has had a frosty relationship with a presenter.

In 2012, when he was still running BBC1, the television executive was snubbed by Jessie J, the singer who became a household name after he made her a judge on The Voice.

Mr Cohen went to greet the bisexual pop star in her dressing room at one of the shows, but instead of welcoming him and thanking him for her big break, Jessie J is said to have refused to allow him in. Instead, she allegedly told staff to inform him that she was asleep, leaving him outside 'like a lemon'.

For the most part, though, Mr Cohen has made a career of sidestepping contentious issues that could leave a lasting stain on his reputation. Insiders are still incredulous he managed to avoid any blame for the BBC's apparent cover up of the Jimmy Savile scandal.

The Corporation axed Panorama's expose of the sexual predator, which had been scheduled to air on BBC1, while Mr Cohen was controller. The apparent cover-up eventually cost the executive's boss, former director general George Entwistle, his job.

Having dodged those scandals, Mr Cohen is hardly going to allow Clarkson's antics to threaten his plans to reach the top. He has seen his chance to get rid of the Top Gear presenter once and for all, and this time, colleagues say, he will do all in his power to seize it.