Ross 'beyond excited' over deal with Big Brother maker

The star, who quit the BBC earlier this year, signed a deal between Endemol UK and his own production company, Hotsauce TV.

Endemol, which made its name with Big Brother, is behind shows including BBC1's Total Wipeout, Channel 4's Deal or No Deal and dramas including Wire in the Blood and Secret Diary of a Call Girl.

Ross, who will continue to work on his ITV chat show, said: "I am beyond excited to be working with the biggest and best production company in the world."

Endemol UK chief executive officer Tim Hincks described Ross as "the UK's most famous and successful talk show host".

Ross first hit the headlines in the 1980s when he hosted his chat show The Last Resort but another show, Saturday Zoo, flopped. He rebuilt his career on radio before clinching the job of presenting the BBC's Film programme and then landing his Friday night chat show.

In 2005 he received an OBE but his career was marred by the row over prank phone calls made to actor Andrew Sachs and in January this year Ross announced he was leaving the BBC.