Retired game show host Noel Edmonds is set to make his return to TV and has reportedly signed a £1million deal with ITV, eight years after Deal or No Deal was scrapped
Noel Edmonds is making his TV comeback eight years after Deal or No Deal was axed.
The former game show host, 75, is set to present a new reality show based on his estate in New Zealand and is reportedly hoping to emulate the success of Jeremy Clarkson with Clarkson’s Farm. Sources have claimed that Noel has signed a £1million deal with ITV after a “frenzied” ten-month bidding war.
A three-part show is now set to see Noel tending to the vineyards in his 11-hectare River Havern estate, as well as pulling pints in his 17th-century pub. He will also run a positivity radio station for his plants and pets. A source said: “Noel’s incredible – and very eccentric – life is going to make TV gold.”
They continued to The Sun: “New Zealand is still struggling with the after-effects of their draconian lockdown laws and execs are hoping that Noel will do for tourism what Jeremy has for British farming. For his part, Noel would like the world to know he hasn’t retired, and this chapter of his life is a new adventure.”
According to reports, the series has provisionally been named Noel’s Haven and will be made by the same production company behind The Chase and Ninja Warrior, called Potato. The source added: “There was a feeding frenzy from production companies to secure the rights, and everyone knows this could be a huge comeback for Noel.”
It’s been almost a decade since Channel 4 bosses decided to let Noel’s biggest show go. A TV insider told The Mirror at the time: “Deal Or No Deal doesn’t get the ratings it used to and it is not a cheap daytime show to make. Noel and ‘Deal’ had a great run but bosses have just decided it is the right time to end the series.
“The farewell tour will be a great way for fans to say goodbye to the show.” The tour took place when a dozen episodes were filmed around the UK at different locations. Sources close to Noel insisted he was not upset by the axing and celebrated the new contract which reportedly netted him £10million.
A friend of Noel said: “Noel is very comfortable with what is happening with Deal or No Deal. He knew the studio version was coming to an end and has been saying it for more than a year now. What he has managed to do is agree to front four new shows and they will make him the best-paid daytime presenter out there in TV.
“There are things in his contract linked to ratings and advertising but he could earn anything up to £10million in the next few years from this deal. It’s not a day for him to feel sad.” Noel went on to host Sky One’s quiz show Are You Smarter than a 10 Year Old? and live entertainment show Noel’s HQ in 2008.
Then in 2018, he participated in the 18th series of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here, and made headlines as the highest-paid participant to ever star on the show. But he was the first celebrity to get voted out. The following year, he emigrated to New Zealand with his wife, Liz Davies, during the global lockdown.
The couple tied the knot in 2009 and make-up artist Liz is Noel’s third wife. He has four daughters from his previous marriage to Helen Soby from 1986 to 2005, and was first married to Gillian Slater in 1971. Since relocating to New Zealand, the couple have purchased a number of rural properties, including an estate with a cafe.
His £15million estate also features a pub, which he has called The B*gger Inn. The small contained village around the estate is home to just 2,500 people who appreciate its scenery – but Noel has been accused of ‘taking over’.
In 2020, Noel raised eyebrows when he revealed he’d set up a radio station for house plants. His ‘positivity’ radio network features a station with music for plants, another with ‘healing frequencies’ and a third with songs for cats and dogs. He said: “Kiwis can rest easy. I’m not going to inflict myself upon this proud nation. I’m not bringing Mr Blobby over. I’m here to behave.”
The star’s more relaxed way of life in New Zealand is a world away from his hectic past. In 2005, Noel tried to take his own life after the collapse of his production company, Unique Group. The presenter fell victim to fraud by a group of HBOS financiers and it plunged him into a deep depression. The fraudsters were jailed in 2017 for their £245million loan scam.
In 2017, Noel said he believed his prostate cancer was caused by the stress of the ordeal. He said: “I don’t say cancer was caused by the stress, but that my health deteriorated to such an extent I got prostate cancer. I am absolutely sure the negative forces acting on me impacted on my health.” He was diagnosed with the disease in 2013.