MacNicol returns to 'Numb3rs'

Peter MacNicol will return to Numb3rs next season as a full-time cast member, it has emerged.

Series executive producer Cheryl Heaton told TV Guide that she is "thrilled to have him back" and added that MacNicol is "a vital part of the show."

MacNicol left the show during its third season to play the role of Tom Lennox on 24, a role that will apparently not be continued into the Fox show's seventh season.