Richard and Judy to bring down curtain on 20-year partnership to tackle solo projects
Chat show couple Richard and Judy are considering bringing the curtain down on their TV partnership.
Richard Madeley said he was looking at some “tantalising” solo opportunities after believing there is now little left for them to do together as broadcasters.
Speaking to Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs show, he said: “I think we both feel we have done pretty much all we can do as a partnership in terms of the talk shows, but I think probably we both feel the need to diversify.
“It has been over 20 years doing the same kind of thing and there are tantalising possibilities in terms of solo projects or doing one-off projects together.
“I am not saying we will never work together again — I’m sure we will.” The couple have suffered poor ratings for their latest chat show on digital channel Watch. Viewing figures fell to just 8,000 at one point after last October’s launch.
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They moved from Channel 4 where they had been for seven years and enjoyed seven-figure audiences.
Madeley (52) told Desert Island Discs presenter Kirsty Young: “We knew before we went that however it panned out the viewing figures would be minuscule.
“We hadn’t jumped into this not knowing and we don’t mind. The only disappointment is the channel as a whole hasn’t really got traction.”
He also revealed that he is currently writing a book, the idea for which “just dropped” into his head. Madeley recently stood in for Radio 5 Live’s late night presenter Richard Bacon.
He and Judy Finnigan (60) began presenting together on ITV’s This Morning, where they remained until 2001 when they were poached by Channel 4.
They have spent the best part of two decades as Britain’s most unlikely TV power couple. Now it seems the fortunes — and ratings — of the husband-and-wife team are dropping fast, despite once having A-list guests queue to appear and a book club that could make or break an author.
Mark Borkowski, a publicist, said: “Personality brands occasionally have to be rested and try to create some nostalgia for that person to come back.”