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Jonathan Ross may go to BBC's rivals
By London Lite Last updated at 13:24pm on 14.10.09Jonathan Ross is preparing for life after his BBC “golden handcuffs” deal ends and may work as well for rival broadcasters, it was reported today.
The presenter, 48, is the highest-paid star at the Beeb, raking in £18m as part of a three-year contract.
Cut-price: new Ross deal may not be exclusive
But he is expected to be offered a much-reduced deal when his contract ends next year, after controversy over lavish BBC salaries funded by licence fee-payers during the credit crunch.
The exclusivity clause in his deal may well be removed.
It was announced yesterday he would be returning to compere the British Comedy Awards for ITV, but Ross is likely to continue his BBC flagship chat show.
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Reader views (35)
He is one of the only things I can bare to watch on the bbc that is considered comedy. I would far rather watch him that the other rubbish they pump out like two pints,comming of age and all the other unfunny rubbish the produce
- Josh, Swansea,uk
Wow so much hate in this world! Seriously you all need to relax, the guy IS talented which is WHY he is the face and highest paid person at the beeb, how comes any of you haven't got your own TV show???....sorry?....huh???....eh???..ah thats what i thought, no talent.
And those ridiculous accusations he and Brand received were a total joke, no more than people just having way too much spare time on their hands.
I'm not a huge Ross fan but i watch his shows on occasions because he is a funny guy, no matter what any of you say, he wouldnt be where he is if he wasnt.
- Stevep, London
Perhaps it's the recession, but TV salaries seem rediculous. Judging by the majoirity of comments here, the demand for Ross in particular will not be high in the commercial sector if very few want to watch him.
However, the BBC are paying silly salaries generally given that most TV presenters are pretty limited talent-wise and could not command anywhere near the same salary in the commerical sector.
- John, North London
The BBC ought to do a survey of licence payers. I think there would be an overwhelming majority vote to get rid of Ross and spend the money on something else.
- Jethro Penzance, Bodmin
Ross stopped being funny and insightful 5 years ago, why anybody watches him help plug other people's careers is beyond me
- Cliff, london, england
Hoorah, can't stand him, take him off Saturday Radio too!
- Trish, Worcester, UK
Ross's pay was negotiated in a competitive UK/US market. Like leading sports 'stars', bankers news editors and others who do less meaningful jobs than teachers, nurses and doctors, he is obscenely overpaid but that is the market led system that has made the west what it is today. If you are going to knock one man's pay then you are knocking the system that made you richer than you might have been 50 yrs ago...
- Stephen Norris, Guildford, Surrey
BBC like MPs need to be checked for paying their bosses and stars astronomically.
- Ann, london
One has to remember that Jonathan Ross is synonymous with today’s TV and the BBC in particular – rubbish. A lot of fuss is rightly being made about MP's expenses. But what about the far larger sums of public money being paid to BBC personalities and executives, many of whom would be near unemployable outside the BBC. At least the taxes that fund MP's expenses are gathered in some relation to earnings. The BBC licence fee is taken equally from rich and poor, whether you have one 14 inch TV or six 50 inch plasma's. It's immoral, and so are those who seek and accept such fees from the BBC.
- Richard Duddridge, London
Just me who thinks he's brilliant then? Not sure if he's worth so much though.
- Leonard, Chiswick, London
This is a real worry!!Hopefully he doesnt head for the US.He will always be the most supremely untalented,arrogant individual to grace our screens/airways.A truly boring,unfunny person with zero talent.May he join the ranks of the unemployed and disappear forever.
- Jasper Wainwright, Florida,USA
Goodbye and good widance. I'll be very happy never to have to see him again, awful, common little tyke.
- Alan Seymour, LONDON - UK
Why is that piontless waist of space still on the TV.
Could someone on Planet earth please tell me what does that idiot
Jonathan Ross do to earn £16,000,000 over 3 years
He is not worth 16 pence for that pile of piontless crap that he churns out on a friday night on BBC 1.
The sooner this donut goes the better,
No one evens watches your Hasbeen programe on a friday night.
So long farewell good ridance to you & all your crap that you put on the TV
Who cares about your piontless TV chat Programe with all the B rate Hasbeens that you talk to.
Most of them are from the same agent that you are with,
All you seem to do on your friday night show is promote someone' piontless Book or crap record that no one even buys.
Mr Ross take yourself & your toilet of a mouth along with your greed for money.
Please go & live on a different planet,
No one is worth the money that you are earning.
It is amazing that you earn all this money for talking so much rubbish as to the way that you do.
David warren
- David Warren, \London, United Kingdom
If Ross leaves i'll burn my TV licence...he's the only reason i pay it!
- Rich, Lincoln
I haven't properly watched this twit for some time now and even the short clips of him which are hard to avoid are so revealing that I certainly don't plan to change now. Quite frankly I applaud anything that might get him off our screens.
- Patrick, St Albans, UK
If any of the other channels are mug enough to pay him, good luck to them, but I don't want to pay for trash like him out of my licence. Good riddance to his foul mouth and tacky attempts at humour.
- Poor Pensioner, London/England
To appreciate Jonathan requires intelligence, an understanding of irony and to reocognise the fact that he is often the target of his own humour! He is often quite self-effacing. I hope the public do not get what they seem to want - The Bland Broadcasting Company. I, like many others, LOVE him. He is an individual with a character, not a puppet!
- Annette Lavelle, Leicester, England
Great, let him discover that no one else will pay him crazy money for what he has to offer. TV licence payers need to be relieved of wasting money on his likes. There is a wealth of talent out there that can easily be obtained at so much less expenditure of our licence fee.
- Edwin Underhill, beaconsfield buckinghamshire
good, itv should put him on afternoon tv see how he would get on then dont think he would see 6million a year then do you ???
- Norman, birmingham
This is the best news for licence payers! Lets hope it is start of getting rid of over paid talentless presenters. Money saved could be spent on making decent programmes rather than so called reality rubbish.
- Anybodyoutthere, London
Where ever Jonathan Ross goes his millions of fans will follow.I know i will be there most of you seem to have a sense of humour bypass !!!!
- Darren Summers, middlesbrough
Thank goodness for that, we thought we'ed never be rid of him.
- Dhan Raj, Basildon
I bet you all watch him ,hence the comments! Is a footballer or a banker worth it.
Viewing figures and bums on seats that's what matters in the real world. Do I note a bit of envy ?
- David Sanderson, london
I think he's worth every penny, one of the most intelligent, open and witty men in the business, would you rather repeats of that, oh so funny 'last of the summer wine'? Yes, from the sound of it most of you would.
- Roberta Millman, london uk
Pop the milk bottles on the step on your way out wrossie,and settle your BBC account before you leave!!!!!!!!!
- Selwyn Channon, lympsham
I find it incredible that someone can be paid so much for simply chatting. He doesn't have any preceptible talent except to be able to string a few words together and grin inanely
- Nick, Banbury
I'd be very glad to see him go to commercial rivals. the fact that he didn't resign after Russell Brand resigned and the fact that the BBC have done everything to try to keep him - greater controls on his shows, pre-recording, etc. - means that the money has become greater than the listeners and viewers. We'll all have forgotten him within weeks of his leaving.
- Colin Udall, Nuneaton, UK
I'm not paying the TV licence while Ross is still at the BBC.
- C Wilson, Herts, UK
not much talent,jonathan,
- Lal, hebden bridge
He's tosh anyway! I don't think he's worth £500,000 a year let alone £6m!
The Jonathan Ross show is all about him... instead of it being about his guests, they are a secondary distraction as far as Jonathan's concerned. He could host his show from his home while looking in the bathroom mirror.
- Rob D, London
Bye, then.
- John, Biggleswade
Great! Goodbye!
- Albert Hall, hove england
I second Rod Gray's sentiment
- Mary, London
Nobody in the other TV companies can afford him.
- Mickinlondon, london
Good!
- Rod Gray, Berwick upon Tweed
