George Lamb has made the jump to telly on Big Brother's Little Brother, and it's not too late for the sake of all humanity to nip that in the bud before it gets too late.

I'd happily listen to Toploader* if it meant I'd never have to see the smug gurning face of Jonathan Ross on my TV screen ever again.

*well....if under duress....

Oh - and that hideous media luvvie Tim Lovejoy.

Undroppable? - possibly the great Terry Wogan...always good value both on radio and TV

and indeed find her quite irritating, particularly on those financial adverts. However, the issue as I understand it was that the show's budget had been cut by a third. Vorderman offered to take a pay cut in line with that but was asked to accept 10%.

While I don't think anyone is worth a million (or £900K, the figure the BBC news website is reporting), having previously been told you're worth that and then to be asked to take a 90% reduction in pay is pretty damn insulting, particularly when there's no suggestion your star is fading or you're getting worse at your job and you're the face of said show. I wouldn't do it (mind you, I couldn't afford to cover my mortgage, bills and food if I did, which I doubt is a pressing problem for CV) and I doubt many others would either.

I don't watch Countdown and don't give two hoots who presents it, but I can totally understand why CV has gone and updated her, er... CV.

With regard to the actual question, everyone has their day in the sun and no one should think themselves beyond the chop, but I sincerely hope Stephen Fry continues to illuminate our screens for many years to come.

When I think back to Des Lynam in his pomp, he was as close as you can get to "undroppable". But... when he went to ITV he became ordinary, even poor, for some reason. And now he's kind of back at the BBC, he has somehow lost it.

But if push cane to shove.... I am fond of University Challenge and that programme would lose a lot if Paxman didn't do it. Likewise Top Gear relies on the leadership of Clarkson, love him or hate him. The other two would not be strong enough without him.

I do enjoy Stephen Fry and I would suggest QI, which is always excellent, rather depends on him. He's probably not paid £1m pa for it either.

Agree about Jeff Stelling - he has somehow made watching a bunch of ex pro footballers for 2 hours entertaining. No mean feat.

But other than that, I really can't think of anyone else. On radio I would add Simon Mayo and Danny Baker - both on when I'm working so I rarely get to listen - as being supremely good at what they do.

Channel 4 got themselves in a hole by overpaying in the first place. That is always a difficult one to fix - and it can really only be done gradually and over a long term. The story seems to suggest to me that CV approached the problem with far more desire to make it work than Channel 4. You wait, Countdown will be off the air within 2 series (or CV will return).

But some are so close to the product/programme its likely the format could go with them or be far less popular with another presenter. Suggestions?
Jeremy Clarkson - Top Gear..have you seen 5th gear?
David Attenboroug - Life on.....Humble? Never Never
John Peel - Home Truths albeit radio....didnt work after did it
Johnny Vaughan & Denise van Outen Big Breakfast...survived Chris & Gabby but not after that
Melvyn Bragg: South Bank Show....who else?
Richard & Judy....obviously
Patrick Moore....sky at night....not Brian May surely
Denis Norden....It'll be Alright on the Night...hated it with him
Michael Parkinson....obviously
Anne Robinson....Weakest Link...
Chris Tarrant...Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?.

Yes of course I mean Richard Williams. Who else would I?
(What do you mean, it's not on telly anymore.....

Talking of irreplaceable TV stalwarts (and their battle with budget-rationalising paper-pushers), did anyone else see the Charles Wheeler tribute?
It included this wonderful clip showing a 1987 meeting involving Wheeler (calm verbal assassin, off-camera) vs John Birt (BBC Director General at his snootiest):

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/newsnight/7499768.stm

In the documentary someone commented that Birt hadn't reckoned with anyone possessing, as Wheeler did, the old-fashioned skill of shorthand.

He should be available on the National Health as a tonic to the troops who have to put up with the likes of Chris Moyles, Chris Evans and, er, Mark, erm, Radcliffe, er. Also has the perfect face for radio.

Alan Titchmarsh. A national treasure on TV and radio. There, I've said it.

Jimmy Carr. Surprisingly good on the TV adverts show.

Harry Hill. Best presenter of You've Been Framed.

Bruce Forsyth. Let it go Bruce. Retire gracefully. Please.

Something I rarely do these days when I have the options of my choicest celebs on DVD and Internet etc

The guy in the middle actually wanted to be photographed with these two from The One Show. WHY? Christine maybe but Adrian...?

I love him, I think he's wonderful and I'll watch anything he does. Same applies to Clare Balding.

But Stelling. There really is only one Jeff Stelling. He's the only unique talent on TV. Here he is, on fire.

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From BBC Entertainment in the past week
SUNDAY : Vorderman 'forced' to quit quiz
SATURDAY : Vorderman 'forced' to quit quiz
FRIDAY : Carol Vorderman quits Countdown

Fearne Cotton and Edith Bowman.

Two glottal-stopping young ladies with appalling diction and strikingly limited vocabularies. And yet the finest public service broadcaster in the world regularly has them front and centre.

I don't know what to say really. Just like those two...

from 90s indie/dance crossover band The Beloved, was once a Countdown champion.

Just thought I'd put that out there

.....on Baker Street?
Countdown, Blockbusters, it's all the same to me.

Overpaid & unappealing. TV can reduce even people you should like to irritants.

However, Mr. Hepworth & Mr. Ellen were consistently fabulous back in the day on The Old Grey Whistle Test.

but Humphrey Littleton is utterly without peer. Is, not was. ISIHAC just wouldn't be right; as much as I want to hear more of the show, I couldn't imagine it without the chairman.

quite happily. I used to like him but his recent chat shows are more about himself and his extremely worrying sex obsession than any guest that appears.

Talk about watching a mid-life crisis unfold in front of your very eyes...

You can sense his disappointment when a male guest comes on and he can't flirt pathetically, almost pummelling them into submission to get a resigned, "Yes, Jonathan, if I was not a world famous, beautiful, oscar winning multi-millionaire star then I would sleep with you..."

I do turn into my dad, rolling eys, tutting, whistling during the cringeworthy attempts at smut and bad language, channel hopping until the band come on...

How he and Carol Vorderman could be earning anywhere close to a million a a year is beyond me!

Richard Whiteley's irresponsible death from pneumonia (nine letters!) left a gaping hole in Countdown's charm - but the loss of Carol makes it a different programme entirely.

So Countdown is over. It's been a great 26 years.
Rebrand it - call it something else - and get Tarby out of retirement with a wholesome young chick from Oxford University Hard Sums Department and do it all again from scratch.

The core audience (pensioners, unemployed, sickies) have no loyalty. Look how quickly they adapt to Rob Curling's "Turnabout", Henry Kelly's "what am oi?" quiz, Fifteen to One and now Deal or No Deal. Similarly, the gentle celebrities that are the necessary Toksvig, Fry, Brandreth, Hardy) won't mind what the studio looks like as long as they can they can have a platform to share with us their wry, sideways-glance musings on life.

I don't live in the UK any more. But these gentle word-gamey TV shows are what I miss most. That and the pubs.