Jeez, they're handing chat shows out like lollipops these days and BBC London 2012 presenter Clare Balding is the latest one to get in on the action.
The Olympic anchor has just signed a deal with BT Vision that will see her hosting her own BT Sport chat show. It'll have a weekly slot and feature interviews, debates and chat about the latest hot topics in the world of sport. As if becoming the face of Channel 4 Racing and hosting her own Saturday night quiz show wasn't enough.
BT Sport is planning to launch this summer and Balding's only too delighted to become part of the team. "I'd like to thank BT for giving me the opportunity to present my own magazine show," she said. "I'm enthused by BT's vision for sports coverage in the future and particularly their support of women's sport, an issue about which I feel very strongly. This is an exciting new venture for me and I can't wait to get started."
She's not the only Beeb presenter they've scooped up though. Former Formula 1 anchor Jake Humphrey left the BBC to head up BT's Football coverage.
Balding is a hugely popular figure, so BT Boss Simon Green is more than happy to have her on board. "We're thrilled to have signed Clare for BT Sport. She excels at presenting a variety of different sports and she showed last summer what an accomplished live performer she is, so we wanted to give her an opportunity to anchor her own weekly flagship show for BT Sport", he said.
We'd personally love to see her interview Chad Le Clos' dad again. Seeing the South African swimmer's father Bert Le Clos get that excited during an interview was a TV highlight of the summer!
