October 17, 2006 12:00am
Bidding war for foxy ladies
by Robert Fidgeon

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."

Source:
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,20593570-2902,00.html


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