'Fight!' over TV Burp

Harry Hill has reportedly split with his long-term agents Avalon in a dispute over TV Burp.

The comic is said to have become tired of the demanding show and eager to move on to new ideas – but Avalon, which also makes the lucrative hit series, is keen for more.

Any split is likely to spark a bidding war between both agents, and TV channels. Last year it was reported that Sky was willing to bid £3million for his services, and BBC director-general Mark Thompson is known to be a huge fan of his family-friendly comedy.

Hill is contracted to host TV Burp and You’ve Been Framed on ITV1 until the end of next year but reportedly turned down a £1million pay rise to make even more TV Burps, because of the amount of research it involved.

‘It’s a very rigorous process and you have to put in the hours – that’s the only way you can make a good show,’ he said. ‘But it’s a brain fryer.’

Hill’s rise to fame has been managed by Avalon boss Jon Thoday, who executive produced TV Burp, as well as Hill’s stand-up DVDs and Channel 4 shows in the Nineties.

A spokesperson for Avalon said: ‘We do not comment on manager-artist relationships.’

Published: 6 Dec 2011