'Dog' Chapman to make TV return

Duane 'Dog' Chapman's reality show Dog The Bounty Hunter is to return to the small screen.

The A&E network dropped the series last November after a recording of a telephone conversation between Chapman and his son Tucker was released by the press.

The 55-year-old was heard urging Tucker to leave his Mexican girlfriend and calling her the 'n' word six times in 45 seconds. It subsequently emerged that Tucker had sold the tape of the conversation to The National Enquirer for an estimated $15,000.

Chapman later apologised for the slur and broke down in tears during an interview on America's Hannity & Colmes show.

However, an A&E official has now told TMZ that the series is back in production after bosses had a change of heart about its future.

A statement said: "Over the last few months, Duane 'Dog' Chapman has taken and continues to take the appropriate steps in reaching out to several African American organizations in an effort to make amends for his private comments to his son which were released publicly.

"Since the premise of Dog The Bounty Hunter is about second chances - we have decided to give him one."

An air date has not been confirmed, but filming is scheduled to begin in Hawaii immediately.

It was recently revealed that Chapman will not be extradited to Mexico to face kidnapping charges over the 2003 capture of a rapist.