Veteran presenter Pat Kenny won’t be featured in this season’s Virgin Media autumn/winter schedule — as he reveals he’s cut ties with the broadcaster.
Pat had been signed to Virgin Media to front Pat Kenny’s Big Debates, which saw the former Late Late Show host discuss some of the country’s biggest topics.
But the Irish Mirror can reveal that the Newstalk radio host is a free agent and is no longer contracted with Virgin Media — and isn’t ruling out a return to RTE as he hopes to create his own TV shows in the future.
He told us: “I’ve no contract with them [Virgin Media]. I’m available to do occasional work if they want me. I’ve a couple of ideas in the pipeline for television work that I would like to do myself and I don’t care [who I go to].
“I have no ongoing contract with Virgin now. I’ve no commitment to them and they have no commitment to me, but we’re all pals.
“I’ve some projects I would like to develop myself. Either for myself or indeed for other people. They’re just ideas,” he added.
“I’ve done telly for so long. It’s a bit like riding a bicycle. You don’t forget how to do it just because you haven’t done it for six months.”
Virgin Media are set to announce their upcoming season of TV programmes which viewers can look forward to later this week.
Among the variety of new shows which will be announced is talent competition The Big Deal.
Hosted by Vogue Williams, The Big Deal allows performers to accept prizes at certain stages, or reject those prizes for a chance to win a larger sum of money at the end.
Virgin Media have dubbed their new series “a talent show with a twist” — and it boasts a star-studded judging panel made up of pop legend Boy George, comedian Deirdre O’Kane and singers Jedward, Aston Merrygold, and Lyra.
Virgin Media’s Bill Malone said: “The Big Deal is a spectacular new entertainment show filming in Dublin’s 3Arena and is on a scale not seen in Ireland before.”
