ITV attempts to headhunt Adrian Chiles
ITV has reportedly offered the BBC's football presenter and TV all-rounder Adrian Chiles a £6million deal, plus free flights, to make him their face of football. The Mirror reports that they want the Benny Hill lookalike to anchor their Champions League and FA Cup coverage, but will allow him to work around his commitment to BBC One's The One Show. A source at ITV, which has offered Chiles a contract until the end of 2010, said: "We are willing to bend over backwards to land Adrian." ITV will guarantee him flights back from games anywhere in Europe so he can be in London fresh for his BBC job the next day. But the BBC is apparently considering offering him a 'golden handcuffs' deal to work exclusively for them. Chiles has signed up for The One Show until 2009.
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