The consumer is ready for glitz and glamour and, dare I say it, the odd talented presenter."At this point, Edmonds can't resist a little "in my day" rant "I do despair of some presenters today," he says. I also like the fact that Ant and Dec so clearly love their job and do it so professionally."Edmonds is not, however, so well disposed towards reality TV. "Big Brother just doesn't interest me," he opines of the best-known programme by Endemol, the makers of his new show. All the same, is he not the teeniest bit irked that Ant and Dec seem to have stolen many of his clothes for theirSaturday Night Takeaway? "They've been very honest about the derivation of their show," Edmonds says. "Their executive producer told me that the first thing they did when they were setting up the show was to get out the tapes of Noel's House Party We had a laugh about it. Every couple of months, they run an article portraying me as some kind of freak.
I've even had calls from Michael Jackson saying, 'back off, you're stealing my territory'."He acknowledges that the tabloid attention "does get me down. I can take it up to a point, but when journalists become vindictive or tell downright lies, that's bloody difficult to put with".Edmonds claims not to watch much TV these days. Sorry to disappoint, but that has not been the case!"He acknowledges that he is very much on the tabloid radar right now. "I'm not quite sure why," he harrumphs, "other than the fact that they like to bring you down if you're successful."He has also had to get used to be being permanently tailed by paparazzi.
"I've got one of them following me everywhere at the moment," Edmonds reveals. "Because I recently got divorced, the tabloids are very keen to know who I'm with. Edmonds is worth a reported £20m, but hastens to add: "Despite what people say, it's not an empire."The fly in the ointment has been the presenter's often fractious relationship with the tabloids. Clearly well practised in fielding questions on this matter, he sighs, "There has been an image of me sitting in a darkened room, polishing my awards and praying that the phone will ring. He oversees a farm in the West Country and runs highly successful TV and radio production houses, a high-end car company, a lobbying organisation and a video conferencing firm. On Noel's House Party, I used to say that I was the guy who got to lift the cup, but you'd look bloody stupid at Wembley without the other 10 players."Edmonds has certainly had plenty of other activities to occupy him since leaving the BBC.