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mark occomore · Joined: 07 Dec 2006 Posts: 9955 Location: UK

Jonathan Ross is set to work a bit harder for his headline-grabbing salary after the BBC extended his chatshow run to 40 weeks of the year.

The move means Ross's hit Friday night BBC1 programme will be on air for the majority of next year.

From January, an additional 10 episodes will be broadcast across 2008.

Friday Night with Jonathan Ross will be off air only for a summer break from June and for charity night Children in Need.

However the extra work will not mean more money for Ross - who is on a three-year deal with the BBC reputedly worth more around £18m.

It means the BBC will get more value for money, which may please the BBC Trust as it commissions an in-depth study of talent costs and the corporation's impact on the market later this year.

Now in its sixth year, the last series of Friday Night with Jonathan Ross peaked with an audience of 4.7 million and a 39% share of the Friday night viewing.

The 13th season of the show kicks off on September 7 with a string of star guests, including Keira Knightley, Simon Pegg and Adam Sandler.

Ross's salary and workload has been a hotly debated topic since it was announced in June 2006 that the BBC signed a new three-year deal with chatshow host that keeps him at the BBC until 2010.

It is thought the deal includes costs incurred by his company Hotsauce TV, which makes Friday Night with Jonathan Ross.

BBC insiders say that the BBC Trust's review of the salaries its talent may actually reveal that Ross is good value for money.

One senior source said: "Comparing the ratings he brings in with the cost of some other shows and their ratings, Jonathan may actually prove to be not as costly per hour as people think."

The presenter also has a weekly BBC Radio 2 show, presents Film 2007, as well as occasional documentaries and fronts big event shows for the BBC such as Live Earth.

Media Guardian

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The shows are pre - recorded on the Wednesday or Thursday of the week. I wonder if he will pre record a few? Well he should work for his money.

firewirefred · Guest

Ian Robinson · Posted: Fri Aug 17, 2007 2:27 pm Post subject:

JR does plenty of work - far more than others on such high salaries (like Graham Norton). Apart from the chat show and radio show, there's his Japanorama series, various film shows, and documentaries. All of which are made by his production company from the fee the press reckon he's pocketed himself.

My only gripe is that he shouldn't be appearing on non-BBC shows like the ITV Comedy Awards and 8 Out of 10 Cats. I mean, ITV won't let Ant & Dec appear on Have I Got News For You, so why should the BBC be so nice?

iwarburton · Joined: 08 Dec 2006 Posts: 2133 Location: Northumberland

This should guarantee some 10:35pm bedtimes on Fridays next year!

Ian.