Jamie Oliver, the so-called Naked Chef and darling of Jack-the-Laddist TV viewers, has been removed from his primetime BBC slot.
While the Beeb was prepared to tolerate Oliver’s high profile £2 million role fronting ads for supermarket chain J Sainsbury – although at odds with the BBC’s mandatory non-commercial ethos – his refusal to undertake not to promote Sainsbury and its brands during his BBC broadcasts proved to be a bridge too far.
Said the Beeb: “The BBC has today [Monday] withdrawn from negotiations for a new series with Jamie Oliver after being unable to agree terms. Having discovered Jamie and developed his career, we wish him the very best with his future ventures.”
The youthful multimillionaire is unlikely to be absent from the nation’s TV screens for long. A battle royal for his services is expected among Britain's commercial broadcasters.
Data sourced from: BrandRepublic (UK); additional content by WARC staff
