Paul O'Grady pessimistic over C4 future

Rex Features

Paul O'Grady has announced that he is likely to quit his Channel 4 chatshow at the end of the current series.

The comedian is currently involved in a public dispute with bosses at the broadcaster over rumoured plans to cut his programme's budget by half.

"It's likely to go at the end of the year," O'Grady is quoted by What's On TV as saying. "We can't make it on that budget - it would be just me and the dog.

"We'd have to be in a tiny studio with no more than 30 in the audience, and we wouldn't be able to attract the kind of guests we get now."

He added: "I can't believe they want to kill it off. We are making a lively, happy variety show, which nobody else does. It is such a shame."

O'Grady is now said to be in talks to launch a peaktime weekend show on Sky1 in the New Year.