Inside the BBC and ITV celebrity talent war as the broadcasters battle for ratings winners: Alison Hammond becomes latest star pursued by rival network with the Beeb set to 'throw money' at her to go head-to head with This Morning
Alison Hammond is at the centre of a battle royale between ITV and the BBC for talent after she was offered yet another show by Auntie who are ‘throwing money at her’ in the hope she goes head-to-head with This Morning and steals viewers.
The 49-year-old Great British Bake Off host is said to have been approached to front a travel show called Florida Unpacked.
BBC bosses have already signed her to host Alison Hammond's Big Weekend, which would see her spend 48-hours interviewing famous faces in 2025.
Insiders told MailOnline that the Beeb won't give up on the bagging her for more projects, despite her last show Clear The Dancefloor being axed before it even aired.
'Finding the right format for Alison on the BBC will be one in the eye for ITV at a time when both broadcasters are fighting for ratings and talent. It's turning into Wacky Races with stars moving across on both sides – but I think the BBC is winning', the source said.
As part of this war, Alison Hammond has reportedly been offered a new show by the BBC which could go head to head in the schedules with This Morning, causing a 'nightmare' for her current bosses.
In a 'tit-for-tat' fight, ITV recently lured over Gary Lineker, Zoe Ball, Vernon Kay and Graham Norton despite being among the BBC's highest paid stars.
ITV and BBC are fighting for talent for new shows with Alison Hammond the latest top target in the tug of war
Alison Hammond signed a deal to present a new dance show for the BBC, Clear The Dancefloor, which sees zany amateur dancers competing against each other. It was axed
The BBC's Head of Commissioning, Entertainment, Kalpna Patel-Knight, has already brought in Alison Hammond for a show interviewing celebs. ITV's Managing Director, Media and Entertainment Kevin Lygo's had reportedly drawn up a revenge plan to get BBC stars to come the other way to stem the flow from his side.
Mark Borkowski, one of Britain's leading PR gurus, told MailOnline today: 'It's always about the power of the celebrity in terms of generating these wars. I remember when Morecambe and Wise going on to ITV and the noise that made.
'What's interesting is the complexity the difficulty of creating new formats that actually succeed in the age of social media when there's so much criticism and so much antagonism.
'I feel for channels get sucked into these disputes, because it's incredibly difficult to develop people and their performance because people are scrutinising every last bit of it'.
But the BBC have clearly pinpointed Alison Hammond, especially as when she was 'snubbed' by This Morning bosses when Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard bagged the show's main presenting gig.
Kalpna Patel-Knight is the new BBC Head of Entertainment, a reward for the success of Michael McIntyre's The Wheel and bringing back Blankety Blank with Bradley Walsh - who hosts ITV's ratings winner The Chase.
Two months ago shared a post on LinkedIn celebrating Alison Hammond's Big Weekend, which she personally helped commission.
Each episode will see Alison spend 48 hours with a celebrity and it will be broadcast on BBC One and iPlayer next year.
Kalpna also crowed about the success of Gladiators, which returned this year hosted by Mr Walsh and was a massive hit.
Last year it was claimed that ITV's Managing Director, Media and Entertainment Kevin Lygo's had drawn up a revenge plan to get BBC stars to come the other way to stem the flow from his side.
Both Gary Lineker, 63, and Zoe Ball, 53, were taken on by the network despite being the BBC's highest paid stars - although their shows flopped.
Mr Lygo's strategy emerged after the BBC stole the broadcaster's talent such as Holly Willoughby, 43, former Take Me Out host Paddy McGuinness, 50, Bradley Walsh, 64, and more recently, Ms Hammond - who the network believe they trained and nurtured.
Brand and culture expert Nick Ede said: 'Gone are the days of the golden handshake which would ensure a TV star would stay loyal to one tv channel for a number of years.
'It is an expensive solution to keeping the talent and TV bosses cannot justify it anymore.
'Terrestrial TV is suffering and the BBC has the clout to poach TV stars from other channels who it hopes will prove ratings winners against other terrestrial channels and their rivals the major streamers.
'We see stars popping up all over the place now as for them it’s not about loyalty to their channel it’s where they can get their next pay check which it should be.
'Daytime stars like Holly, Josie and Alison are key players in ratings wars and just as we have seen with Alison going on to Bake Off, when you have someone who’s nearing national treasure status the stakes are high and big money will be thrown at them'.
By Mr Ede said that both the BBC and ITV must be wary because so often the crossover projects fail.
'Generally it doesn’t work as viewers know their stars and those associate their stars with the channels. Ant and Dec will always be ITV, for example', he said.
Gary Lineker, 63, has also been taken in by ITV (pictured left on the network's Sitting On a Fortune) despite being the BBC's highest paid stars as Match of The Day presenter (right). Sitting On a Fortune was axed, however
Host with the most: As one of the highest-paid stars at the BBC, Graham Norton is already thought to earn in excess of £2 million for his Friday night chat show but he has taken on Wheel of Fortune for ITV (right)
Holly Willoughby, 43, has left ITV and the BBC have reportedly tried to grab her (pictured right on the BBC's Freeze With Fear series with Wim Hof in 2022)
A television insider said last year: 'To say it feels like a war is an understatement. It all seems to have got very tit for tat.
'Kevin has been furious that the likes of Paddy, Holly, Alison and Bradley have been appearing on the BBC, he is a very competitive man and has one big job, to get viewers.
'You can't help but think that his pursuit of Gary, Zoe and now Graham was some kind of revenge.
'ITV are very happy with their three new additions, they think Wheel of Fortune is going to be huge.
'The telly world is now waiting to see what the next move is, whether the BBC will try another audacious poaching.'
Historically stars would work with just one channel at a time, and would often sign 'golden handcuffs' deals to ensure that they remain exclusive to either network.
If they were to defect it would be that they were only allowed to work for that broadcaster.
A decade ago Susanna Reid left the BBC to present ITV's Good Morning Britain, while in 1978 The Morecambe & Wise Show did the same, as did Michael Parkinson when he went to ITV in 2007 after 25 years at the Beeb.
However, in recent years presenters appear to have taken back the power and have refused to sign exclusivity deals and take the view that they go where the work is.
The BBC is said to be currently plotting to get Ms Willoughby to themselves after landing her to present their prime time show Freeze The Fear With Wim Hoff in 2022.
They are keen to find her a big weekend show to host, with some bosses hoping they may be able to sign her to present their Saturday night dance show Strictly along with Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman.
A source added: 'That would be the best revenge the BBC could wish for.'
Paddy McGuinness (pictured left on ITV's Take Me Out) left ITV to host Top Gear (right) and other programmes
Bradley Walsh (pictured hosting of ITV's The Chase) is host of the BBC's Gladiators reboot and BBC's Blankety Blank (right)
BBC Radio 2 host Zoe Ball filmed ITV's much anticipated search-for-a-star show, Mamma Mia! I Have A Dream. But this was also axed
BBC's Match of the Day host Lineker had a Sunday night quiz show Sitting on a Fortune on ITV.
But it was axed axed after two series along with Ian Wright's Moneyball.
BBC Radio 2 host Zoe Ball filmed ITV's much anticipated search-for-a-star show, Mamma Mia! I Have A Dream.
But this was cancelled after the first series.
Alison Hammond signed a deal to present a new dance show for the BBC, Clear The Dancefloor, which sees zany amateur dancers competing against each other.
But this was also canned.
She previously appeared on Saturday night programme I Can See Your Voice on the network too.
It was also axed.
