LONDON (Reuters Life!) – British TV presenter Jonathan Ross has signed a deal with Endemol UK, the production team behind blockbuster reality show Big Brother, an Endemol spokesman said on Thursday.
The Dutch television and digital production company announced the deal with Ross's own production firm Hotsauce TV to create entertainment programing for the British and global markets.
The deal is unrelated to Ross's scheduled ITV chat show which will air in 2011.
Ross could bring in the necessary star power to help fill the void left after Britain's Big Brother series finished this year at the end of an 11 year run.
Endemol's lenders have said the company has struggled with its levels of debt dating back to its 2007 buy-out, and that it needed to develop new shows to syndicate.
"Obviously we're always looking for new ideas," the spokesman said.
"The company lives and breathes creativity and Jonathan and his company really embody that. Ross is a very well known on-screen talent, but he's also got a lot of great ideas as well as knowledge on the production side."
The deal marks a return to action for Ross after a spell away from the limelight following the infamous 'Sachsgate' affair in 2008, involving a lewd radio prank, and his departure from the BBC this year.
Ross first hit the headlines with his chat show The Last Resort in the 1980s, and became one of the country's highest paid entertainers with BBC1 chatshow Friday Night With Jonathan Ross.
Endemol's entertainment roster includes shows such as Channel 4's The Million Pound Drop Live, Deal or No Deal and BBC1's Would I Lie To You?
(Reporting by Adam Jourdan; editing by Mike Collett-White and Paul Casciato)
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