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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Katherine Heslop

Ken Bruce 'free to monetise brand and could expand PopMaster further' after BBC exit

Ken Bruce could be in lines to make millions after Channel 4 snapped up a show based on his PopMaster quiz.

The radio legend, 72, owns the rights to the popular game, taking it with him to Greatest Hits Radio last month after leaving his BBC Radio 2 mid-morning show, having worked for the corporation for four decades.

Earlier today it was announced PopMaster is being is being adapted into a six-part series for More4, with Ken at the helm.

The show will see two contestants asked 10 questions based on popular music from the 1950s to the present day.

And this could be just the start for Ken if he wanted to rake in the dollar, after being released from the BBC's commercial earnings restrictions.

Ken left the BBC after four decades, taking PopMaster with him (Mike Lawn/REX/Shutterstock)

Nick Ede, brand expert, said the end of Ken's time at the BBC means he could go down the route of live tours, podcasts and even board games.

Nick told The Sun: “Being released from his contract is actually a blessing in disguise as he is now able to really monetise his brand.”

Questions on the Channel 4 show will be about a number of genres and will include naming musicians based on the song titles identifying the year songs were hits.

Every episode will have one winner who will move on to the grand final where only one person can be crowned the champion.

Ken has started a new role at Greatest Hits Radio (PA)

Speaking of the new show, Ken said: “After all these years we are finally bringing PopMaster to the telly where we’ll be challenging music lovers from around the country to not only recall a range of facts and stats about chart toppers and beyond over the decades but to do so under the glare of studio lights and with the added pressure of television cameras.

“I can’t wait to get started – and find out whether I might have a face for TV after all.”

As Ken took PopMaster with him to his new job, the Beeb aired a similar music quiz called Ten To The Top.

It was dismissed as a ‘Poundland PopMaster’ by fans who have spotted the similarities between the two quizzes, notably because two contestants are asked 10 questions about popular music.

In a new interview this week, Ken insisted that he wasn’t given the credit he deserved at the BBC as he expressed his disappointment with the way he was treated.

“There were times when I felt I wasn’t really noticed by either the BBC itself or some listeners. So I thought, ‘I’m going to make these people appreciate me," he told Radio Times.

Ken leaving BBC Wogan House in March, after his final BBC Radio 2 show, which he had hosted for 31 years (PA)

“I thought that, after 45 years, I could be trusted to do the right thing for the next few weeks. But obviously, it’s up to them. It’s their choice.”

Ken previously shared his disappointment at how he was forced to leave his job at Radio 2 three weeks before he was expected to say his goodbye to listeners.

The Mirror has approached Ken for comment.

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