Angus Deayton replaces Ross at Comedy Awards
21/11/2008 - 15:22
Award-winning comedian, actor and presenter Angus Deayton is to replace Jonathan Ross as the host of this year's British Comedy Awards.
The annual ceremony, which airs on ITV1 on Saturday 6 December, has been presented by Ross for the last 17 years.
He stepped down after a three-month suspension from the BBC for making offensive prank phone calls to Fawlty Towers actor Andrew Sachs.
Angus Deayton, who is best known for presenting the BBC news quiz Have I Got News For You, is no stranger to controversy himself - he was sacked in 2002 following revelations that he had taken cocaine and had a relationship with a prostitute.
He returned to the BBC in June 2007 hosting a new TV comedy panel game, Would I Lie To You? and has presented the ITV1 reality show Hell's Kitchen.
Guy Freeman, Controller of ITV Music & Events, said: "Angus is simply one of the best. We always hoped that he would agree to take on the challenge of hosting one of TV's toughest gigs, and now we’re thrilled that he has."
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