TELLY’S Les Dennis has revealed he quit Family Fortunes because ITV bosses were going to cut his pay by 98 per cent.
But it eventually led to led to his “reinvention” as a successful actor.
Les Dennis has revealed he quit Family Fortunes because ITV bosses were going to cut his pay by 98 per cent
He had hosted the game show from 1987 to 2002 when it was moved to a daytime slot.
Les, 69, told a podcast: “They offered an insulting 98 per cent pay cut — time to go.”
To “kickstart” his career, he then went on Celebrity Big Brother.
That landed him a part on Ricky Gervais’s sitcom Extras, playing a fictional version of himself.
Les said “Friends said, ‘Don’t do it, they’re taking the mickey.’
“But he gave me a chance to show I had a sense of humour.
“Who would’ve known that would then lead to a reinvention and to the English National Opera and the Royal Shakespeare Company.”
