MATT Hancock has been tipped to land his own TV show.
ITV Studios’ Managing Director Kevin Lygo thinks the former Health Secretary – who recently announced he is standing down as an MP, following a stint on ‘I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!’ – could end up on the BBC.
Asked about the possibility of Matt fronting a series, Kevin said: “He might. I think the BBC is the place for Matt Hancock.”
Kevin has told Politicalite how most of this year’s ‘I’m A Celebrity’ campmates had been cast when the idea of MP Matt taking place was put forward, and he admitted there wasn’t “enormous soul searching” about whether he should take part or not.
He is quoted by The Sun newspaper’s TV Biz column as saying: “Most people were cast and ready to go when he was put forward.
“I think most of us thought, ‘That’s a fascinating idea. does he really want to go in?’
“So we decided after some debate – but not enormous soul searching – that, yes, he would be a great addition to the programme.”
Last week, Matt – who finished third on the ITV jungle-based series – said he is standing down as an MP because he wants to “engage with the public in new ways” outside Parliament.
The MP – who was suspended by the Conservative Party after it was revealed he had signed up for the programme – wrote in a letter to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak: “It has been an honour to serve in Parliament and represent the people of West Suffolk.
“I will play my part in the debate about the future of our country and engage with the public in new ways.
“There was a time when I thought the only way to influence the public debate was in Parliament, but I’ve realised there’s far more to it than that.
“For my part, I want to do things differently. I have discovered a whole new world of possibilities which I am excited to explore – new ways for me to communicate with people of all ages and from all backgrounds.
“It has been an honour to serve in parliament and represent the people of West Suffolk. I will play my part in the debate about the future of our country and engage with the public in new ways.”
Matt – who has been the MP for West Suffolk since 2010, but was widely criticised for leaving his constituents to take part in ‘I’m A Celebrity’ – quit as Health Secretary after he came under fire when he was caught kissing his former aide, and now-girlfriend, Gina Coladangelo, during the COVID pandemic, breaking his own social distancing guidance in the process.
