Do you remember me telling you about the BBC slagging ITV for copying all their shows? Well, ITV director of telly, Simon Shaps, has hit back at these accusations. Mr Shaps’ (known as Mr Doesn’t Really Have A Leg To Stand On) defended Tycoon (Dragon’s Den/The Apprentice), Grease Is The Word (How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria and Any Dream Will Do) and Trinny and Susannah Undress (er… Trinny and Susannah) by prattling on about how hard it is to have an idea.

Shaps said: “We stand by the programmes we commission. They feel original pieces of television and I’m confident that they are.” He then joked “We’re definitely not doing our version of Castaway.” (Celebrity Love Island). Shappers continued that it’s almost impossible to find a completely original “holy grail” idea in television, adding: “There are no new shows under the sun.”

Shaps added that even hit show Britain’s Got Talent originated from the rich history of variety shows on television. “I certainly think the past is a treasure trove. The BBC had fantastic success with Doctor Who. We’ve reinvented the variety show in the same way who Wants to be a Millionaire reinvented the big-name quiz,” Mr Shaps said.

“Complete and total originality is quite rare. Everyone wants the holy grail of being utterly original. We are finding shows that are distinctive and original and will leave comments that other people have up to them.”

Shaps may have stuck the boot in (if he had a leg to stand on) but was in a good old mood as he presented the first full season schedule commissioned by his new team. “This is the first schedule with our fingerprints all over it in the sense we have had the team in place for the last 18 months. We’ve retired some shows and tried new shows,” he said.

Mr Shaps added that he was pleased that shows he commissioned just after he became director of television, such as fantasy drama Primeval (Doctor Who), have come through. “It has been quite frustrating that it’s taken until 2007 for those shows to come on air. It took 18 months for Britain’s Got Talent to get on air,” said he.

Mr Shaps said the network is not talking to anyone in particular about replacing chatshow king Michael Parkinson when he retires. “We absolutely don’t rule out doing something in that genre and somebody will completely reinvigorate the chat show genre,” he added. “We’re completely open-minded about it but we don’t have any particular plan,” said Mr Shaps. Whether or not he was thinking about Friday Night With Paul Ross is not certain… [Mof Gimmers]