ITV and BBC battle over Kemp

ITV bosses are trying to block the BBC's reported attempt to woo Ross Kemp back to Eastenders with a 1 million deal.

10:26 20 March 2005

ITV bosses are trying to block the BBC's reported attempt to woo Ross Kemp back to Eastenders with a 1 million deal.

The soap's scriptwriters are desperate to see Kemp return to Albert Square as Grant Mitchell, The People reports.

The newspaper claims that ITV have retaliated by offering the actor 500,000 for just six hours on screen, in an attempt to hang on to the star.

Kemp is currently said to be in talks with ITV's head of drama, Nick Elliot, who is said to want the actor to sign up for another series of the SAS series, Ultimate Force.

Meanwhile, Eastenders bosses have reportedly recruited Barbara Windsor to try and persuade Kemp back to the Walford.

Windsor, who played Kemp's on-screen mother Peggy in the soap, is herself returning to the show this summer.

ITV are said to fear a big Eastenders revival if the Mitchell clan is re-united again.

But an unnamed ITV source insisted that a return by Kemp to the BBC was far from sealed.

"Ross is far from signed, sealed and delivered to EastEnders," the ITV source told The People.

"If he stays with ITV, he would earn the same for six hours' screen work a year as for 44 weeks of hard graft," the source added.

A spokesman for Eastenders confirmed: "We are in early negotiations, but nothing is settled."