The news comes amid newspaper stories of a ‘bidding war’ for the comedian when his C4 contract expires at the end of the year, with both the BBC and ITV expressing an interest in signing him.

His agents Off The Kerb will be happy about such talk of a ‘battle’ for his talents, which will only strengthen their bargaining position when it comes to renewal talks.

Channel 4 has said: ‘We have supported Alan from the start and we look forward to nurturing his career in years to come.’

Carr will return to the station later in the summer, when The Friday Night Project moves to Sunday.

Channel 4 has also bought the rights to air Carr's live show Tooth Fairy, which was a DVD bestseller. This – like Celebrity Ding Dong – was made by Off The Kerb’s production arm, Open Mike.

The opening episode of Celebrity Ding Dong attracted a reasonable 2 million viewers for Channel 4 in February, although two weeks later that figure had fallen 40 per cent to 1.2 million.