Richard and Judy have signed a three-year deal keeping them with Channel 4 until December 2007.

The pair, who defected to the station from ITV in 2001, are expected to make £1m a year under the new contract.

A C4 insider told the Media Guardian that their decision to stay came despite a higher money offer from ITV. "ITV tried to sign Richard and Judy for the same show, but more money," said the source. "We'll be paying them more, but not as much as ITV offered, because they really didn't want to go back."

The Richard and Judy Show, which airs in the 5pm slot, got off to a shaky start with just 1.66 million viewers but has steadily grown to a peak of 2.9 million viewers this year.

Madeley said: "We feel so at home at 5pm on Channel 4, so it's great we're going to be here for another three years."