The man who helped bring Big Brother to Britain is to step down as chief creative officer following a Silvio Berlusconi takeover
Peter Bazalgette, the man who brought Big Brother to Britain, is to step down from the production company behind the show at the end of the year.
The 54-year-old is expected to shortly announce he has resigned from his position as chief creative officer at Endemol following its takeover by consortium of Goldman Sachs, co-founder John de Mol, and Silvio Berlusconi's Mediaset.
Although Mr Bazalgette was asked to stay on, he made it clear he wanted to depart in an attempt to find other media companies to invest in. He will remain as an adviser to Endemol during 2008, which means he will not get involved with an independent television producer during that time.
Bazalgette made millions from his involvement in Endemol, sharing in a €75 million payout that was given to executives when the takeover went through. He hopes to reinvest some of that cash in smaller ventures, acting as a chairman or non-executive. Mr Bazalgette already sits on the board of YouGov, the opinion pollster.
TimesonLine
