Perdita
24-12-2009, 11:45
CLEVER Paul O'Grady has landed a deal to carry on making his Channel 4 chat show - despite tearing into execs and signing for ITV.
The Lily Savage star has convinced C4 to pay his production company Olga TV to make a new teatime show in the summer.
The lucrative contract will make him thousands as he will also be listed as an executive producer.
The programme will be called the 5 0'Clock Show - rather than the Paul O'Grady Show - and will use guest hosts. Dawn French, Peter Andre, Fern Britton, Michael Bublé and Jo Brand have been mentioned.
Paul, who filmed his final Paul O'Grady Show last week, will still "pop up on from time to time", C4 said.
Execs got Olga TV back on board after its show won good ratings despite O'Grady's absence through illness.
C4's head of daytime TV Helen Warner said: "I'm so pleased we will be able to continue our great relationship with Olga through this new show.
"It'll be similar in format to the Paul O'Grady Show, so viewers will still get their hit of top guests and entertainment. Having a different celebrity host each week will keep the show fresh."
O'Grady gave C4 a lashing last year for trying to halve the show's budget as he was trying for a new deal. Paul, 54, seethed: "It's outrageous. It's like entering the Grand Prix but only being given half the petrol to complete it.
"You'll end up with the blandest of the bland and I won't be part of it."
He is taking a break until starting on an ITV weekend talk show in the New Year.
Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/tv/2783591/Paul-OGrady-receives-new-Channel-4-chat-show-deal.html#ixzz0abcKX5Ih
The Lily Savage star has convinced C4 to pay his production company Olga TV to make a new teatime show in the summer.
The lucrative contract will make him thousands as he will also be listed as an executive producer.
The programme will be called the 5 0'Clock Show - rather than the Paul O'Grady Show - and will use guest hosts. Dawn French, Peter Andre, Fern Britton, Michael Bublé and Jo Brand have been mentioned.
Paul, who filmed his final Paul O'Grady Show last week, will still "pop up on from time to time", C4 said.
Execs got Olga TV back on board after its show won good ratings despite O'Grady's absence through illness.
C4's head of daytime TV Helen Warner said: "I'm so pleased we will be able to continue our great relationship with Olga through this new show.
"It'll be similar in format to the Paul O'Grady Show, so viewers will still get their hit of top guests and entertainment. Having a different celebrity host each week will keep the show fresh."
O'Grady gave C4 a lashing last year for trying to halve the show's budget as he was trying for a new deal. Paul, 54, seethed: "It's outrageous. It's like entering the Grand Prix but only being given half the petrol to complete it.
"You'll end up with the blandest of the bland and I won't be part of it."
He is taking a break until starting on an ITV weekend talk show in the New Year.
Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/tv/2783591/Paul-OGrady-receives-new-Channel-4-chat-show-deal.html#ixzz0abcKX5Ih