There is rather a big difference between a personality appearing on a show on another station as a guest (or even team contestant), and a personality
hosting
a show on another station.
So I think there would be something to complain about if the powers that be refused to allow somebody to appear on a quiz as a contestant, but when it comes to hosting the show, they are perfectly within their legal rights, and also are not being "unfair".
To stick up for ITV here: the BBC actually refused to let Harry Hill use EastEnders clips for his ITV show last series. Only this year did they relent. The only reason Des may not be happy is because his ITv contract is up next year, and he's looking to explore his options.
And anyway, Trevor McDonald will be one of the guests on tonights HIGNFY, I think you'll find.
To stick up for ITV here: the BBC actually refused to let Harry Hill use EastEnders clips for his ITV show last series. Only this year did they relent. The only reason Des may not be happy is because his ITv contract is up next year, and he's looking to explore his options.
And anyway, Trevor McDonald will be one of the guests on tonights HIGNFY, I think you'll find.
Not sure about Sir Trevor on tonight's programme; Kate Garraway said on GMTV Today this morning that she was asked to come on as a guest because someone who planned to be on couldn't make it, not sure if that was Trevor McDonald or the other guest. She also mentioned that Boris is presenting again!
There is rather a big difference between a personality appearing on a show on another station as a guest (or even team contestant), and a personality hosting a show on another station.
Again I disagree. If they tried to sign him to present the whole series, or even just multiple episodes, that would be poaching their celeb and something for them to block. But with the host on HIGNFY really just another guest now - just one which happens to be asking the questions instead of answering them, and with Hat Trick wanting him to GUEST host a single episode (as I said, on programming which has nothing to do with the programming they signed Des Lynam to appear on in the first place - if he was doing Chris Tarrant's job it would have been different) I really don't see it as being very much too ask. Hell, ITV could even have charged a fee for him to appear if they wanted to.
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So I think there would be something to complain about if the powers that be refused to allow somebody to appear on a quiz as a contestant, but when it comes to hosting the show, they are perfectly within their legal rights, and also are not being "unfair".
I don't deny that it's within their legal rights to do this, just that they should have made an exception in this case. As I said before, I would take exclusive contracts to actually mean 'virtually exclusive'. I.e. if you're on an exclusive deal to act, you don't act for anyone else, if you're on an exclusive deal to present sport, you don't present sport for anyone else, and aswell as that you enter into no significant deals and have no significant screentime on other channels. But a sports presenter making a one off appearance in a 30 minute topical news quiz? They're really that afraid of loosing their asset to let them happen?
And as I said before, surely if exclusive contracts really will be taken to mean 'you won't spend one second on another channel as long as you're contracted to us' then it will just put celebrities off signing them.