Jonathan Ross ‘in talks for The Traitors movie star spin-off’
Jonathan Ross could be set for a BBC comeback as he is reportedly in talks for to take part in the celebrity spin-off of The Traitors.
The chat show host, 63, presented his radio show on BBC Radio 2 for ten years but left 14 years ago following the Andrew Sachs scandal.
He also hosted his Friday night chat show on BBC1 until 2010 when it moved to ITV.
But according to The Sun, Jonathan could be set for his return to the national broadcaster.
An insider said: ‘Jonathan is the ideal target for producers because he’s a high-profile celebrity who doesn’t regularly appear on the reality TV circuit.
Jonathan Ross could be set for a BBC comeback as he is reportedly in talks for to take part in the celebrity spin-off of The Traitors
An insider said: ‘Jonathan is the ideal target for producers because he’s a high-profile celebrity who doesn’t regularly appear on the reality TV circuit’
‘He’s also one of a small army of stars who are self-confessed fans of the show.’
MailOnline has contacted a representative of Jonathan Ross for comment.
Jonathan previously claimed the BBC has become more risk-averse and dull in the wake of his Sachsgate scandal on Radio 2.
The Corporation faced a public backlash after the 2008 incident, when comedian Russell Brand and the TV presenter called the much-loved Fawlty Towers actor Andrew Sachs during Russell’s show and left lewd messages on his answerphone.
Russell also bragged about sex with Sachs’s granddaughter Georgina Baillie, with whom he had had a brief relationship.
At the time, the BBC sacked Russell and suspended Jonathan for three months, and it was also fined £150,000 by the regulator Ofcom.
Jonathan, who hosted a show on Radio 2 for ten years, admits he now rarely tunes in. Talking to Dermot O’Leary on his Audible podcast, he said: ‘I wish it was a little bit more interesting.
‘A lot of the time it feels like they don’t take risks any more, which they used to.
Jonathan previously claimed the BBC has become more risk-averse and dull in the wake of his Sachsgate scandal on Radio 2. Pictured are Brand and Ross singing an apology for Sachsgate
‘Obviously I’m part of the reason they don’t do that any more because of the huge cock-up of me and Russell on his show.
‘It’s one of the reasons they allowed themselves to be beaten back into a position of, ‘Oh, don’t take risks, don’t take chances.
‘To an extent I sympathise with that, but at the same time that’s why I don’t listen to a lot.’
Despite the public outcry over what became known as Sachsgate – which was even discussed in Parliament – Ross did not consider walking away from the broadcaster, claiming the issue had been ‘blown out of all proportion’.
The 2008 Sachsgate scandal saw Russell Brand and Ross call Andrew Sachs during Brand’s show and leave lewd messages on his answerphone. Brand also bragged about sex with Sachs’s granddaughter Georgina Baillie (pictured), with whom he had had a brief relationship
Recalling the incident, Jonathan added: ‘I didn’t want the people who were going for me and going for Russell to win. That would have been their victory.
‘I didn’t want to throw anyone under the bus, but after the recording I actually said, ‘You know you can’t put that out unless we have his [Sachs’s] permission? You’ve got to make sure…’ That’s why the BBC couldn’t fire me.’
Sachs, who died in 2016 aged 86, said that the pair’s ‘lewd banter was deeply hurtful’.
