Bremner tipped to present Countdown after O’Connor quits
Monday, July 28th, 2008Counting down the days
Rory Bremner is the favourite tipped to be the new host of Countdown, after Des O’Connor announced his resignation from the Channel 4 games show earlier this week.
Others touted for the position include singer and host of Songs of Praise Aled Jones, former Antiques Roadshow host Michael Aspel, and ex-MP and HIGNFY guest Gyles Brandreth. Both Aspel and Brandreth have appeared on the programme in ‘dictionary corner’, with Brandreth gaining a reputation for wearing brightly-coloured jumpers.
Satirist and impressionist Bremner has been a regular on Channel 4 for a number of years now, as one of the presenters of the satirical series Bremner, Bird and Fortune.
Carol Vorderman’s future on the show is also being questioned, as Granada television plan on making cutbacks to staffing costs. Vorderman has been with the programme since it started, along with Channel 4 itself in 1982, shuffling and arranging the letters, as well as adding up the numbers effortlessly after each round. Vorderman is currently one of the highest paid women in Britain, earning £5 million a year.
However, Granada, which owns production company Yorkshire Television, is understood to be planning a reduction in wages for the show’s presenters. “The advertising recession means that at the moment budgets are tight,” said a source at the show.
The quiz show is the longest running programme on Channel 4. Until his death in 2005, Richard Whiteley’s clashing ties and corny jokes, as well as his on-screen chemistry with Carol Vorderman were popular with viewers. Sports presenter Des Lynam took over but proved to be a highly uncharistmatic presenter and quit after 18 months on the programme. Things picked up with Des O’Connor, and Channel 4 is hoping that the new presenter will follow in his footsteps.
