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Bidding war for foxy ladies

AUSSIE TV's hottest comedy Kath & Kim is the centre of a multi-million-dollar bidding war between the Seven and Ten networks.

The K&K team is no longer signed to the ABC, which ran the first three series and the TV movie, Da Kath & Kim Code.

Seven and Ten have been wooing the show's stars and creators, Gina Riley and Jane Turner, along with executive producer Rick McKenna.

But McKenna was tight-lipped yesterday about the show's future home.

"All I can confirm is we're in negotiations with the ABC and we've also had approaches in recent weeks from the commercial networks," he said.

"I must stress, nothing's been concluded and the project's the most important thing. It gets down to which network can offer us the appropriate level of resources to ensure we deliver as funny and compelling shows as we have done before."

McKenna insisted it was too early to say Kath & Kim would not screen on the ABC.

But there's little chance of Kath & Kim staying with the ABC. As production costs grow, and with the show's growing popularity in Britain, Kath & Kim is destined for a new home in commercial television.

At this stage Channel 9 is not a contender.

The first series of Kath & Kim averaged 1.3 million viewers, the second 1.7 million, the third 1.8 million, with the Da Kath & Kim Code telemovie 2.1 million

Riley and Turner are writing the next Kath & Kim project, but McKenna would not say whether it was a series or a telemovie.

It was announced at the weekend that one half of the comedy hit Little Britain, Matt Lucas, will make a guest appearance on the show next year.

"We met Matt through a good friend and he jokingly said he'd love to be in the show. He could see himself shopping at Fountain Gate," McKenna said.

"Gina and Jane wrote to him and asked if he was fair dinkum and he said he was."

By Robert Fidgeon
October 17, 2006
Herald-Sun