Yes great news that a chraity event has been axed. A time for celebration it seems.

Unfortuntely for Text Santa ratings started to decline ( I blame Schofield) each year, despite some good sketches from different programmes. Whereas Children In Need, which although for a good cause, was the most cringeworthy of Charity telathons. Perhaps the axe of TS will boost CIN wih some fresh ideas.

But Text Santa has raied over 30million for charity in its 5 year lifespan.

Yes that's been very apparent, and it will be interesting to see if there are any ITV regulars reappearing on CIN.

Separately it will the first CIN since Sir Terry's death so it will be rather poignant for those who have followed the show for many years.

According to the Text Santa website they are looking at developing a "year round appeal" in the future.

I must say I always thought it was an awkward time of year to ask for money with people already having shelled out for Christmas.

Still no news about who will host this year - im expecting Dermot and Tess to do the first part

I'm not on about the actual chairty, im on the about the actual Text santa thing, and you know it.

Negotiations are still being sent out to agents but no word really on anything yet.

What I know:

*Mary is being trumpeted as the centre of BBC1's culinary department
*They invisage Mary doing primetime Christmas specials including, possibly, Christmas day itself
*An offer involving Mel and Sue is there
*Offered her a guarantee that the Bake Off budget can be repurposed into shows featuring her or with her input
*More choice on the actual cooking shows she does with a guaranteed series committment

Paul has been offered similar things but also, allegedly, a one on one chat show format where he would interview other people from the world of food. And, we're 99% sure Top Gear has been mooted.

But it raised money didn't it! Tbh the content is not important, its the fact these events are designed to raise money.

Chidren In Need was cringey, but it raised money.

It's silly if they don't use the Claudia/Tess pairing, it works so well on Strictly.

This is getting desperate. Embarrassingly desperate. If Mary wants to go to Ch4 then fine, let her. She will still have time for series on BBC1.

Interesting insight, I wonder if any of these ideas include food, judging and the general public? Or is it anything but now?

Considering how little Paul is rated (by people on here) im surprised he's being offered so much by the BBC.

It does sound like the BBC isn't going to turn around Top Gear.

The BBC has enough food shows to sink a ship. If much of this comes to frution, we should be re-naming the BBC channels to Food Channel 1 and Food Channel 2 (with some Antiques thrown in)

Can I just say. Thank goodness for Bake-Off drama, because it has given this thread a massive big kick up the arse. The posts each day must have not doubled, but tripled in the last few days. Lets hope this keeps up throughout Autumn/Winter.

Can we rename itv the soap channel?

I agree, I think the BBC understand the value in keeping hold of him though so they're going all guns blazing.

You should hear some of what Channel 4 are offering!

Put it this way, it's probably the biggest deal I've seen offered in terms of sheer number of hours guaranteed. If Channel 4 get them, they'd pretty much have a show by Paul and Mary on twice a week, each week, for 3 years.

That'd be massive overexposure and I doubt someone of her advanced years wants that kind of workload no matter how good the money. Do C4 think they're bidding for a drayhorse?!?!

Yes if you like

So we have:

Food Channel 1
Food Channel 2
Soap Channel
Factual 4
Benefits 5

I'm sure some of the hours would be stripped across the week, but even so it's a huge amount of hours. Something in the region of 120 hours across the year is available to them and it's on the table, and those hours don't include Bake Off.

That deal definitely feels like they're wooing Paul. It's like they don't know Mary at all - why would she go for this deal? She's in her 80's, appears perfectly content with the amount of work she's doing right now. I'm guessing primetime BBC1 is preferable to her than almost any other offer - and Christmas shows will do well, especially for a public about to be starved of GBBO for over a year!

Holy hell, they'really insane numbers- Can't help but think Ch4 going so over the top means that they're losing the negotiations- But then it is within their MO to overexpose something until it limps out so I guess that's no different

Yes and like someone else said, I can't see Mary wanting so much work. I'm thinking they'd probably slot Paul in the Deal or No Deal slot that's about to be vacated and stripped across 8 weeks, which would cover 40 hours of the deal.

Mary wouldn't suit that, she doesn't seem the right fit for the Channel 4 core audience, really.

They're only ballpark figures but doing the sums, that's what they come out to roughly.

I agree with you - Mary on primetime BBC1 is like fate, she's the perfect host for a primetime BBC1 cooking show and she'd rate amazingly at Christmas. Paul less so, as he's very marmite, but I could see him making a success on Channel 4 if they don't overexpose him. You only need to look at how they ruined Jamie Oliver's brand by having him on too much.

Predictions then:

Paul to 4.
The ladies stay on BBC.
None of the four have major hits again.

Hope I am wrong, of course.

Which it sounds like they will do, if they offer him that amount of hours of TV a year.

I think the 120 hours would be split between them, so 60 hours each. Even so, that's a lot of hours for a TV chef to fill.