Promising to deliver a high-octane, celebrity filled talk show brimming with that indefinable Richard and Judy chemistry, the new series will unleash the couple on a primetime audience.

The new series, which will retain the phenomenally successful Book and Wine clubs, will air on a new look channel, to be announced in the summer, and place the couple at the heart of UKTV’s Pay TV entertainment portfolio. Work is already underway to explore how Richard and Judy will be part of the future evolution of UKTV channels as the network looks to continue to innovate.

Judy Finnigan said: "When we announced our decision to leave our current television series after seven years, we were very touched by the number of people - friends, family, guests, viewers and broadcasters - who told us how much they wanted to see us continuing making programmes together.

Richard Madeley added: “We were both hugely impressed by the team at UKTV, and their proposal with Cactus TV was attractive and fun and will give us the kind of flexibility in our personal lives we've been looking for. The fact that the Richard & Judy Book Club will continue too is the icing on the cake."

UKTV’s Controller, Matthew Littleford says: “I am so excited to have signed Richard and Judy - they are truly my TV heroes. To have brought the king and queen of British telly to UKTV, and to be working closely with them to develop a show that will be the most talked about in TV, clearly demonstrates the magnitude of our ambition to drive differentiation for our Pay TV partners in 2008 and beyond.”