[James]

I saw this first on the Absolutely Brian forum.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/

It says he wants to concentrate more on adult TV shows.

THROW IN THE DOWL

EXCLUSIVE: Big Brother Brian quits SM:tv

HE could always be relied upon to brighten up our Saturday mornings.

So we're sad to report that Big Brother 2 winner Brian Dowling is quitting SM:tv Live.

The camp presenter has told pals he is fed up with children's telly and wants to broaden his horizons with more challenging jobs.

The former trolley dolly will leave the ITV1 show, which he co-hosts with Tess Daley, when his contract expires in August.

The 25-year-old's bombshell is a massive blow to the Saturday morning show, which has struggled to hold on to viewers since the departure of founding presenters Ant and Dec two years ago.

The programme, which was once untouchable in the ratings, is now dwindling behind BBC1's The Saturday Show.

An TV insider said: "Basically Brian feels he's done the kids telly thing and wants to move on to more adult projects. No one imagined he'd be as popular as he has been and him quitting is a major blow for the show.

"He's has managed to hold it together with Tess after Ant and Dec left, but there is only so much he can do.

I don't know if it's true or not. Given that it's a tabloid story it could be a load of rubbish.

[Amy]

Oh i hope he isn't leaving he's great on SM:TV But good luck to him if he is! I know he'll do well

[WILDCHILD]

I do think Bria would be more suited to adult TV because of his sarcastic sense of humour, although he has done well on SM:TV.

Good luck to him whatever he decides to do - for his sake I hope he doesnt pursue'Briand Boyfriends', I think that could fail him.

[BusyBee]

I've got a gut feeling that this time the Mirror may be right.

I think if he seriously wants to have a long-term media career then he needs to 'spread his wings'.

[Sticks]

There's always corporate videos for Ryan Air

[Mairi]

I know you're just joking, Sticks. Brian will never need to go back to Ryan Air, that's for sure. He's far too talented. If he has chosen to "move on" from children's TV, then it will be because he has something bigger and better lined up. I'm sure he has a great future ahead of him.

[Ig]

I've been expecting this for a while as Brian sort of hinted at it last time we met him.

It's not really a surprise, but still a big disappointment as I've made quite a little routine around my Saturday morning activities! I'll miss him but hopefully the "in the pipeline" things won't be too long coming.

LOL @ Sticks ..... meeooowww!

[Romantic Old Bird]

I just hope he isn't being a bit 'previous'. I don't doubt his talent, but he does need the right vehicle.

I don't want to see hime marketed as a Graham Norton alternative. Personally, I am heartily sick of Graham Norton, who is resorting to plain nastiness these days.

His treatment of Jade last year was dreadful, and his turnaround was totally hypocritical. Then he turned on Anne Diamond, who is obviously acutely aware of her weight problems, and now it's Gos.

Brian has a bitchy side, definitely. But he is intrinsically kinder, and whatever he does, however 'adult' needs to emphasise this.

I wish him the best of luck, and hope the right project is in the pipeline for him.

[bananarama]

Brian is no Graham Norton and never will be. (One Norton is more than enough). He should stay where he is or he will finish up working in Helen's hair salon.

[Ig]

Actually, there is a little bit missed out of the article shown above which may clarify things:

"He's feels this is the perfect time to move on and is already considering loads of other TV offers."

In its heyday, SM:tv pulled in audiences of more than two million but that figure has fallen dramatically in recent months.

The introduction of two additional presenters, Des Clarke and Shavaughn Ruakere, has failed to attract viewers, and last weekend the BBC's Fearne Cotton and Simon Grant drew an audience of 1.1 million - 100,000 more than SM:tv.

Last week Brian launched his first solo project, ITV1's Brian's Boyfriends, where he attempts to make men more desirable to their partners.
The bubbly star waltzed straight into a television career after winning £70,000 on Big Brother 2 in 2001.

He is one of the few former housemates to make it in showbiz.

His departure does not bode well for the future of SM:tv.

Last March we exclusively revealed how former Hollyoaks heart-throb James Redmond, 28, was sacked as presenter after just two months.

James had secretly admitted to friends that the pressure of following in Ant and Dec's footsteps was proving too much."


Ooooh I quite like the idea of Brian and Helen working together in a hairdressing salon! Helen could take care of all the hairdos and Brian could look after the manicures and tanning beds!! They certainly wouldnt be short of customers!

Seriously tho, I think Brian has proved himself canny enough not to jump ship without a liferaft handy!!

[bananarama]

I think it's rather sad that Brian and Helen have not appeared together in a TV show. They are both full of comedy intentional or otherwise.

[Robyn]

He should stay where he is or he will finish up working in Helen's hair salon.

To be honest the above quote surprised me. If working in a hair salon is good enough for Helen, why wouldn’t it be good enough for Brian too?

Personally I do not think SM:tv will continue after its’ current contract ends anyway, so I am delighted that Brian has announced his intention to leave the show now. As The Mirror says, Brian has done a great job on SM:tv, and I am confident that he will have other job opportunities in television put his way.

His current series ‘Brian’s Boyfriends’ was commissioned for a 13-week run so it should still be ongoing for a few weeks after Brian leaves SM:tv in August. After that I hope Brian gets some much deserved time off as he has worked almost non-stop on SM:tv for 20 months.

I wish Brian well in whatever he does next.

Robyn.

[bananarama]

To be honest the above quote surprised me. If working in a hair salon is good enough for Helen, why wouldn’t it be good enough for Brian too?

Hi Robyn. Just to put the record straight. I was not implying that the hairdressing job is in any way inferior for Helen or anyone. The implication was that if he jumps boat now he may lose out on a TV career and have to find regular work. The comment about Helens hairdressing as an option was simply a joke. A lot of my comments are tongue in cheek so don't take me to seriously.