Hi-diddly-ho! Simpsons voice actor returns to the fold

The veteran voice actor behind Ned Flanders, Mr Burns and Principal Skinner has reportedly returned to hit cartoon The Simpsons, seven weeks after he wrote online about his exit.

Harry Shearer posted on Twitter in May that he was leaving the iconic show, saying he wanted the freedom to do "other work".

However, he has since signed a four-season contract worth US$300,000 an episode, Entertainment Weekly has reported.

Shearer has had a rocky relationship with the show in recent years over contract issues and what he perceives as the cartoon's declining quality.

The 71-year-old's temporary absence from the show will not affect its early episodes of the new season, as the production staff had a number of episodes ready that included his voices.

The Simpsons was recently renewed for two more seasons, which will being airing in September.