Jonathan Ross departs from BBC

Jonathan Ross presented his final episode of Friday Night with Jonathan Ross on the BBC after more than nine years. He also finished hosting his programme on BBC Radio 2. Ross announced his departure from the BBC in January 2010, having decided not to renew his contract with the broadcasting organisation.

The guests that appeared on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross on Friday were English football player David Beckham, American actor Mickey Rourke and Jackie Chan, an actor from Hong Kong. Ross has stated that he was "ashamed of" few programmes and that "[t]he vast majority are shows I am proud of." He felt "grateful, lucky and honoured" to have been able to work at the BBC.

When talking about his programme on BBC Radio 2, during his final pre-recorded three-hour-long edition broadcast yesterday, Jonathan Ross commented: "It has been a tremendous experience for us - obviously I like to think that the place has always been a little livelier while we are around. There were certain periods when it was a little too lively, but it's been a great experience and a learning experience, bizarrely for people of our age." The final song to be played at the end of the show was "Drive-In Saturday", performed by David Bowie.

Jonathan Ross is expected to present a new television chat show on commercial British channel ITV at some point in the future. It is believed that Graham Norton will be the replacement for Jonathan Ross as of 2011.