Alan Carr's Chatty Man looks set to end
- Alan Carr has suggested his Chatty Man show may be coming to an end
- There will be no series on TV this Autumn, but it will return for Christmas and New Year specials
- He said that he thought it was a mistake to move the programme into a Thursday night slot
Alan Carr has hinted that his Chatty Man show is likely to come to an end.
This is thought, in part, to be due to declining ratings for the series. The programme won't have a run on Channel 4 this Autumn, as has been the case in previous years.
The Sun reports that the Channel 4 series is being brought to a close after 16 series as it is "lagging in the ratings". No episode in the last series of Chatty Man managed to get over 1 million viewers, whilst BBC One rival The Graham Norton Show regularly attracts more than 3 million viewers.
Speaking at the launch of his new book, Alanatomy, Carr said: "I've gone as far as I can with Chatty Man."
However, it should be noted the programme hasn't been cancelled, contrary to reports elsewhere. Whilst there will be no series this Autumn, it is due to return for Christmas and New Year specials.
Channel 4 said in a statement: "Chatty Man will return with two new shows this year; a Christmas Chatty Man show and a Chatty Man New Year Specstacular. A decision has yet to be made on future series of Chatty Man."
Carr spoke at his book launch about how his show was struggling to compete with The Graham Norton Show and The Jonathan Ross Show.
He said: "I just think that the art of the chat show has evolved unless you can get the amazing guests all the time that Norton gets. Channel 4, God love 'em, extended [the last order] to 30 episodes - that's 90 guests who are relevant and people are interested in, up against the amazing Norton and Jonathan Ross."
The most recent series - broadcast from March to May - saw the programme moved from its traditional Friday night slot to Thursdays. Carr said: "I'll be honest with you, I don't think moving it to a Thursday was the best move. It feels like a party show, a Friday show."
He also admitted that the demands of some of the guests have been challenging to meet. "If they told me not to ask about something I always found a way to try to bring it up. But if you mention it, the publicist is straight in the gallery shouting, 'take it out'. So I'm f***** and up s**t creek without a paddle."
As recently reported, Carr is now developing a new format for Channel 4 called Alan Carr's Happy Hour. Involving celebrity guests and studio games, it is set to be broadcast in an 8pm slot. The comedian revealed: "It's a Friday show, fun. The venue is absolutely amazing, it's not a TV studio."
Alan Carr recently revealed he will get married to long-term partner Paul Drayton. Carr said: "My life is a roller coaster, like Ronan Keating says. It's really nice."