Brand lands Friday night chat show

Russell Brand is to go head-to-head with Jonathan Ross after landing his own Channel 4 chat show.

The Russell Brand Show launches on November 24 – going out at 11.05pm on a Friday night, just five minutes after the start of Ross’s hit BBC One show.

He has landed the deal despite his E4 chat show proving a flop in the ratings. The first edition of the heavily-promoted Russell Brand’s Got Issues attracted just 156,000 viewers – about half the channel’s usual ratings for the slot

However, a Channel 4 spokesman said: ‘Russell is undoubtedly the man of the moment.’

The programme will be made by Vanity Productions, Brand’s own company set up with his dad, Ron.

It forms part of a Friday-night comedy line-up that starts with a double bill of The Simpsons at 9pm, 8 Out Of 10 Cats at 10pm, and new sketch show Blunder - written and performed by David Mitchell, Simon Farnaby, Rhys Thomas, Nina Conti, Tom Meeten and Tony Way - at 10.35pm.

Published: 9 Nov 2006