The BBC said on Tuesday that it had suspended Jeremy Clarkson, the controversial host of popular motoring programme "Top Gear", after he was involved in a "fracas" with a producer.
The outspoken 54-year-old presenter helped the show become the world's most popular factual television programme, with 350 million viewers a week in 170 countries.
But he was on his final warning after a string of controversies including accusations he used racist language.
"No one else has been suspended."
Magazine Radio Times said Clarkson was being accused of aiming a punch at a male producer in an incident that occurred last week but was reported to the BBC on Monday.
No sooner had the suspension been announced than fans of Clarkson set up a petition to the BBC to re-instate him.
Clarkson has yet to comment on the incident, but in February he indicated he might have been unhappy with the show by tweeting:
The BBC cancelled the broadcast of the latest episode scheduled for Sunday, in which Clarkson and co-hosts Richard Hammond and James May were to showcase classic cars.
"Top Gear" is one of the BBC's biggest brands and is a major earner for the broadcaster, though it has been dogged by a series of scandals.
Protests broke out there over the number plate of a Porsche, "H982 FKL", which was interpreted by some as a reference to the Falklands War between Britain and Argentina in 1982.
Most damaging for Clarkson have been accusations of racism while reciting an old nursery rhyme in leaked footage, something the presenter denied.
The show was censored by British broadcasting watchdog after a Clarkson comment as an Asian man crossed a bridge that was deemed racially offensive language by Ofcom.
"Top Gear" previously got into hot water over its depictions of Albanians, Romanians and Germans, and the BBC apologised to Mexico after the show described Mexicans as "lazy" and "feckless".
BBC Asks Former Presenter To Return Salary After His Arrest For Sex Offence Ex-BBC Presenter Huw Edwards Pleads Guilty To Indecent Child Picture Crimes Ex-BBC Presenter Huw Edwards Charged With Indecent Child Picture Crimes Who Is Jasveen Sangha, "Ketamine Queen" Charged With Matthew Perry's Death "Don't Expect Anything From Me": Kolkata Hospital's New Principal Loses Cool Mamata Banerjee To Take Out Rally Over Rape-Murder. Trinamool Explains Why UCC To Corruption, 4 Messages From Modi's Independence Day Speech What ISRO's 'Baby Rocket' Launch Means For India's Future In Space Pakistan Reports 1st M-Pox Case As Saudi Arabia Returnee Tests Positive Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.