Alan Carr signs £4m deal with Channel 4

(Image credit: PA)

Alan Carr has signed up for another two years at Channel 4 in a £4 million deal, according to reports.

The Daily Mirror said that the Chatty Man host has decided to stay at the broadcaster until 2015 despite being wooed by ITV.

ITV's reported bid to sign the comedian comes amid criticism of the calibre of some guests on its own Saturday night chat show hosted by Jonathan Ross.

A TV source was quoted as saying: "ITV felt they could make him even more mainstream and popular and pull in five million viewers with his shows. But for now, their only chat show host is Wossy."

Channel 4's head of entertainment Justin Gorman told the Daily Mirror that they were 'chuffed' Alan had turned down other offers, and added: "Alan's warm, witty and a little bit wild. We look forward to celebrating, over a sherry or two, his 100th episode of Chatty Man, later in the year."

Alan joked: "I'm ecstatic - I love being on Channel 4 where I can be myself and let my hair down, what's left of it."

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Patrick McLennan is a London-based journalist and documentary maker who has worked as a writer, sub-editor, digital editor and TV producer in the UK and New Zealand. His CV includes spells as a news producer at the BBC and TVNZ, as well as web editor for Time Inc UK. He has produced TV news and entertainment features on personalities as diverse as Nick Cave, Tom Hardy, Clive James, Jodie Marsh and Kevin Bacon and he co-produced and directed The Ponds, which has screened in UK cinemas, BBC Four and is currently available on Netflix.

An entertainment writer with a diverse taste in TV and film, he lists Seinfeld, The Sopranos, The Chase, The Thick of It and Detectorists among his favourite shows, but steers well clear of most sci-fi.