Paul O'Grady 'won't take show to Sky'

Rex Features

Plans for Paul O'Grady to move his teatime chatshow to Sky1 have been scrapped following a budget dispute, a report claims.

According to The Sun, negotiations collapsed at the last minute after the comedian demanded an extra £1 million. It is thought that he made the request after hearing that his production company would have to purchase HD cameras for the series.

A source said: "Sky thought it was in the bag but then O'Grady started saying they needed more cash if it was going to be in HD.

"Sky bosses said no because they were under the assumption that that was part of the deal."

O'Grady has threatened to quit Channel 4, which currently broadcasts his programme, after hearing that bosses want to reduce his budget by half.

Reports suggest that the 54-year-old will now continue talks over his show's future with ITV and the BBC. He is also expected to have fresh discussions with Sky for a different project.