Channel Four gives up on Joey

Channel Four has announced that it will not be showing the first spin off series from "Friends".

15:27 13 August 2004

Channel Four has announced that it will not be showing the first spin off series from "Friends".

The show, entitled "Joey", was expected to be bought up by Channel Four following its phenomenal ratings success with "Friends". However, this now looks unlikely.

Channel Four had an exclusive negotiating period in which to arrive at a deal with Warner Brothers, but the firms' estimates of the value of the show differed too much.

Bidding is believed to have started near 100,000 per episode, although Warner Brothers is reported to want more than half a million pounds per show.

This massive difference in prices caused Channel Four to turn its back on the show, suggesting that there is too big a difference between the cost and the audience potential.

It has also been suggested that the decision follows a higher bid made by another channel.

"Joey" will be a show dedicated entirely to Joey Tribbiani (Matt LeBlanc), the aspiring Italian American character in Friends.

The title character is moving to Hollywood in order to pursue his acting career, a move made in real life by several of his "Friends" co-stars.

UK audiences are still likely to see the programme, with Five and ITV reported to still be in the frame to win the bidding.