Post by kate on Jan 7, 2010 15:38:36 GMT
Jonathan Ross has announced he is quitting the BBC.
The chat-show host is thought to be paid around £6 million a year but has said he will leave the corporation when his contract comes to an end in July.
In a statement, he said: "Over the last two weeks I have decided not to re-negotiate when my current contract comes to an end. I would like to make it perfectly clear that no negotiations ever took place and that my decision is not financially motivated.
"I signed my current contract with the BBC having turned down more lucrative offers from other channels because it was where I wanted to be and – as I have said before – would happily have stayed there for any fee they cared to offer, but there were other considerations."
His Radio 2 show and Film programme will also come to an end, although he will continue to present the Bafta awards.
Ross was suspended for three months without pay in 2008 for making an obscene phone call to Fawlty Towers actor Andrew Sachs. His partner-in-crime in the scandal Russell Brand resigned from the BBC as a result.
The 49-year-old presenter wrote on his Twitter feed earlier today: "Good morning. My day is turning out to be far more interesting then I had anticipated ! See you later - have a good one."
The chat-show host is thought to be paid around £6 million a year but has said he will leave the corporation when his contract comes to an end in July.
In a statement, he said: "Over the last two weeks I have decided not to re-negotiate when my current contract comes to an end. I would like to make it perfectly clear that no negotiations ever took place and that my decision is not financially motivated.
"I signed my current contract with the BBC having turned down more lucrative offers from other channels because it was where I wanted to be and – as I have said before – would happily have stayed there for any fee they cared to offer, but there were other considerations."
His Radio 2 show and Film programme will also come to an end, although he will continue to present the Bafta awards.
Ross was suspended for three months without pay in 2008 for making an obscene phone call to Fawlty Towers actor Andrew Sachs. His partner-in-crime in the scandal Russell Brand resigned from the BBC as a result.
The 49-year-old presenter wrote on his Twitter feed earlier today: "Good morning. My day is turning out to be far more interesting then I had anticipated ! See you later - have a good one."