Pickard reflects on celeb wrestling "disaster"

ITV's former director of programmes has reflected on his varied tenure at the broadcaster.

Pickard, who famously described Saturday night flop Celebrity Wrestling as "poxy", has now upgraded his assessment to "disaster". The show was seen as a prime example of the reason for ITV's decline - both critically and in the ratings - last year.

"It had disaster written all over it," Pickard, now RDF's director of family and children's, told the Media Guardian. "You put that together... with the downturn in our fortunes. You thought, f***ing hell, we're going in to one of those dips."

Pickard was expected to quit last autumn after Simon Shaps was brought in above him in the newly-created role of director of television but decided to stay on until January. "It allowed me to oversee the changing of the guard, enjoy the autumn," explained Pickard, who also denied having any ill feeling towards Shaps. "Simon and I parted absolutely professionally. There's no animosity."