London ( CNN ) A supporter of suspended `` Top Gear '' host Jeremy Clarkson delivered a petition with nearly 1 million signatures calling for his reinstatement to the BBC 's headquarters in London on Friday -- driving an armored tank up to the building . Clarkson was suspended for allegedly hitting a producer , the BBC reported last week , and `` Top Gear '' -- a highly popular show with a big global audience -- was not broadcast as scheduled Sunday . The BBC 's decision to take the show off the air pending an investigation has outraged many of Clarkson 's die-hard fans . More than 990,000 of them have signed the petition posted on Change.org by Guido Fawkes , a right-wing political blogger , just a week ago . Whether the show of support will have any impact on the BBC 's response is unclear . Clarkson tweeted his thanks Friday night to those who are calling for his reinstatement , saying he is `` very touched . '' The findings of the internal investigation are due to be presented to the corporation 's director general next week , the BBC said Thursday . `` Once this has been considered , we will set out any further steps , '' a statement said . The BBC said in an earlier statement that Clarkson , one of the corporation 's highest earners , had `` a fracas with a BBC producer . '' In an indication of its popularity , `` Top Gear '' was named as the world 's most widely watched factual program in the Guinness World Records 2013 Edition book , with an estimated 350 million global viewers . The show is sold to 214 territories worldwide . Clarkson vented his apparent frustration in an expletive-filled speech Thursday night in what seemed to be a spontaneous appearance at a charity auction in north London . A CNN reporter who was at the event heard Clarkson swear liberally as he talked about his suspension from the show , saying the BBC `` have f***** themselves '' and that it had ruined a great show . Clarkson also auctioned what he said would be one final lap of the `` Top Gear '' track in Surrey , outside London -- used in the show for putting vehicles through their paces -- for £100,000 ( $ 148,000 . ) It 's not clear whether he had the authority to offer the use of the track for auction -- but his words seem to suggest he does n't expect his BBC career to continue , even if no decision is expected before next week . `` I did n't foresee my sacking , but I would like to do one last lap , '' Clarkson said . `` So I 'll go down to Surrey , and I 'll do one last lap of that track before the f****** b******* sack me . '' Whoever placed the winning bid would be able to ride in a car with him on that lap , he said , or in a rare LaFerrari supercar owned by a friend . Clarkson , who 's been presenting the show since the late 1980s , added , `` I 'll be a bit tearful when I do it . '' The controversial star has at least one influential ally -- UK Prime Minister David Cameron . `` I do n't know exactly what happened , '' Cameron told the BBC last week . `` He 's a constituent of mine , a friend of mine . 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 , because it 's a great program and he 's a great talent . '' Opinion : Why we crave the abuse of Jeremy Clarkson . It is not the first time that Clarkson has been at the center of controversy . Last May , the television star asked for forgiveness after using a racist term during a taping of the show . Clarkson had mumbled the N-word while reciting a children 's nursery rhyme , but that version of the take was never aired . Last year , the BBC show hit the headlines when Argentina complained about a `` Top Gear '' special filmed in the country in which the number plate H982 FKL was used -- interpreted by some as a reference to the 1982 Falklands War . Forced to stop filming and leave the country , Clarkson said on the BBC Newsbeat website that the use of the plate was purely coincidental . In a previous article on its website , the BBC said `` Jeremy Clarkson is not a man given to considered opinion . '' Journalist Monica Sarkar contributed to this report .
`` Top Gear 's '' Jeremy Clarkson tweets his thanks to those supporting him . A petition with one signatures calling for Clarkson 's reinstatement delivered to BBC .