Graham Norton poached by BBC

The BBC has finally succeeded in its aim of poaching Graham Norton from Channel 4 today.

The Irish entertainer will join the corporation after his current C4 contract ends in April 2004 to work on "new ideas" for BBC One's Saturday night lineup.

"We've made no secret of our admiration of Graham and I'm thrilled that he feels that BBC One can offer him the space to grow creatively," said BBC One controller Lorraine Heggessey. "I'm convinced he will delight viewers of all ages at the heart of the Saturday night schedule."

Norton's nightly C4 chat show, V Graham Norton, is being replaced by a new US-based weekly show from January, which will run through to April. After that he is committed to a 13-week show for US network Comedy Central, an arrangement the BBC said it would honour.

Channel 4's director of television Kevin Lygo said that Norton had been discussing his departure with the channel for some time.

"Both sides agree it would be very difficult to top what Graham has already achieved at Channel 4," said Lygo. "It therefore feels like the right time for him to be moving on and he goes with our best wishes and heartfelt thanks for everything he’s done for the channel."