Jonathan Ross went from being a cheeky chap to a blithering overpaid idiot almost overnight. All because of one not-very-amusing phone message. Since then, he’s handed his notice in and everyone else came sniffing around. Everyone favoured Channel 4 to land Wossy, however, the channel will not be taking his chatshow.

Ross’s team had negotiated a deal for him to present 20 chatshows a year for Channel 4 over the next two years. However the deal is said to have been nixed pending the arrival of incoming chief executive David Abraham, who is understood to feel that signing Ross would be a backward step for the broadcaster.

Some at Channel 4 are still hopeful that Abraham can be persuaded of the value of returning Ross to the station.

A spokesman for Channel 4 said: “We continue to talk to Jonathan about working together.” A spokesman for Ross declined to comment.

ITV is showing little interest with one insider saying that the ITV director of television, channels and online, Peter Fincham, was “unsure” about whether Ross would fit with the broadcaster. Another senior broadcaster elaborated: “ITV has Paul O’Grady lined up for a prime-time Friday night chatshow this year. He’s far more likely to make that post-Coronation Street audience work than Jonathan Ross.”

BSkyB are also not particularly fond of the idea, saying that: “We’re not interested in reinventing the chatshow wheel.”

Ross announced his departure from the BBC in January, saying: “It’s probably not a bad time for me to move on – and it’s probably not a bad time for the BBC, either. I’ve got six months left, I’m hoping to make the best shows of my career with them.”