Jeremy Clarkson has made his first appearance on the BBC since he was sacked from ‘Top Gear’ nearly seven months ago, hosting the satirical panel show ‘Have I Got News From You’ – and, as you might have expected, he was roundly mocked by regulars Paul Merton and Ian Hislop.

The episode was filmed on Thursday and is due to air tonight (Friday October 2nd), and resembles the one-sided panning administered to ‘HIGNFY’s former permanent presenter Angus Deayton way back in 2002. It’s the first time that Clarkson has made any appearance on the Beeb’s television stations since the infamous “fracas” with one of ‘Top Gear’s producers back in March.

Jeremy ClarksonJeremy Clarkson returned to the BBC to present 'Have I Got News For You'

Hislop and Merton, along with guests Richard Osman (of ‘Pointless’) and journalist Camilla Long, made repeated references to the incident throughout recording. For instance, when Osman was trying wind up Clarkson by asking whether he planned to call the new ‘Top Gear’ presenter Chris Evans, Long said: “Go on Jeremy, punch him.” Osman said: “You remember how to punch don’t you?” and Merton laughed: “Oooh, he’s rolling up his sleeve.”

More: Could Clarkson, Hammond and May’s new Amazon show be called ‘Gear Knobs’?

At one point, Merton fell off his chair punching himself, and a joke about new Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn was twisted into a remark about Clarkson by Hislop, who said: “A man called Jeremy who has extreme views and won’t be in a job for long.”

55 year old Clarkson announced in the summer that he and his former BBC colleagues Richard Hammond and James May had signed a deal with Amazon Prime, worth a reported £160 million, to present a new motoring show. Clarkson himself is apparently set to earn nearly £10 million over the three year deal.

For his part, Clarkson got in a few jabs of his own. When Long told him he was “very naughty” for punching producer Oisin Tymon, who failed to provide Clarkson with an adequate dinner in a hotel when ‘Top Gear’ was shooting on location in North Yorkshire, she also asked if he regretted what he did. He replied: “Yeah – apart from the pay rise.”

For all the zingers, you can watch the first episode of the 50th series of ‘Have I Got News For You’ tonight on BBC One at 9pm.

More: Upcoming series of ‘TFI Friday’ will definitely be Chris Evans’ last, he reveals