The last time Channel 4 was generous with executive bonuses, there was a stink. That was in the summer of 2023 when the publicly owned but commercially funded broadcaster decided its bosses deserved extra for heroically staying at their posts while the Tory government was making threats (abandoned in the end) of privatisation.

The outrage from independent TV producers was so intense that the “retention” awards, including £155,000 for chief executive Alex Mahon, were deferred “indefinitely”. The rethink seemed to be a belated recognition that personal rewards for Channel 4 executives should rise and fall roughly in step with the fortunes of the independent sector they are meant to promote.

Back in mid-2023, remember, the indies were being clobbered by the advertising-led downturn in TV-land. It looked terrible for Mahon, the chief operating officer, Jonathan Allan, and the chief content officer, Ian Katz, to be handed bonuses for staying in their jobs when other people were losing theirs. Indies were laying off staff and freelancers; and Channel 4’s own “fast forward” plan in January this year saw 200 employees accelerated out of the organisation.

Lesson learned, then? Tread more carefully on bonuses given Channel 4’s unique position in the television world?

Not exactly. Channel 4 on Tuesday reported a 10% slump in revenues for 2023, a loss of £52m and – critically given that it’s the bit that matters to the indies – a cut of £50m to £663m in spending on content. But the remuneration committee decided normal performance-related bonuses (ie, regular annual ones, not retention one-offs) were in order. Not at the full levels seen in 2022, but at half the possible maximum. After “careful and detailed consideration”, the committee thought improvement in areas such as going digital and diversifying revenues should be recognised.

Was that wise when the trading climate for indies remains only a couple of degrees above freezing and talk is of trying to “survive to 2025”? The TV production sector in the UK suffered a £400m fall in revenues last year, industry body Pact reported last month. And, reading between the lines of Tuesday’s commentary, Channel 4’s spending on content is likely to be only marginally up in 2024.

Certainly Katz (formerly of the Guardian parish, but that’s irrelevant) seemed to understand how it would be received. He declined his bonus “because he feels close to the indie community,” said Mahon. But she’s accepting hers (£247,000 on top of fixed pay of £746,000) and Allan is taking his (£128,000 on top of £554,000) even though, you’d think, they have exactly the same reasons to feel aligned to the folk who make most of the programmes.

The fact of a big deficit at Channel 4 last year, one can agree, is irrelevant. There were three years of healthy surplus previously, and a not-for-profit corporation is meant to ride the ebbs and flows. And, up to point, it did cushion the blow for producers: overall spending on programmes was down by 7%, less than the 10% fall in revenues. But that’s cold comfort on the ground. The indies’ mood may not be improved by news that the “indefinitely” deferred retention bonuses (almost £400,000 in aggregate) weren’t deferred for long and were paid in July this year.

None of which makes Channel 4 any less important in the UK broadcasting universe. Flogging it to a US broadcaster, the mostly likely form of privatisation, would have been a pointless and scandalous act of vandalism, as many of us argued at the time. In the round, the broadcaster fulfils its remit and serves the national interest – all at no cost to the public purse. But it also makes itself harder to love when it makes tin-eared decisions on bonuses.

BIG Brother 2024 star Ryan auditioned for The X Factor back in 2013.

The 28-year-old, from Stockport, is one of the fresh faces who is taking part in this year’s series of the ITV show.

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Ryan has certainly made an impression as he was booed by the crowd as he entered the iconic house on Sunday night.

However this isn’t Ryan’s first taste of television.

According to MailOnline, the reality star auditioned for The X Factor back in 2013 – the series that was won by Sam Bailey.

The publication has reported that part of his performance of One Direction’s Little Things was played out on our screens 11 years ago.

Ryan was clearly keen on pursuing a career in music as he has also shared some performances on his YouTube channel.

He’s also performed The Kooks’ tune Seaside in one of the videos on his page.

In another video, named Site Specific Performance, on his channel he makes comments about a woman’s chest.

He said:  “Cause her t**s are that big, she has to drink more milk, so she has more t** milk.”

Ryan didn’t get off to the best of starts on Sunday night after he made a dig at those who self-identify during his VT.

The TV star vowed to “shake up” the house with his views.

He said: “I feel like over the recent years, it’s gone a bit tame and people are in there for other motives.

“I think having someone normal like me in there will shake it up.”

But it was when Ryan made his “anti-woke” views clear that fans turned on him.

He said: “I think I’m strong and opinionated. There’s a lot of woke people out there.

“It’s all well and good if you want to use certain pronouns, and I get that, but it gets a bit confusing sometimes with people identifying as a spoon or whatnot.”

Those in the crowd weren’t impressed, as well as those watching from their sofa.

One pointed out on X: “Booing Ryan immediately as he deserves mmhmmm good job crowd.”

Someone else added: “Getting bad vibes from Ryan.”

A third tweeted: “Ryan talking about people identifying as spoons. Loserr.”

Other viewers are convinced that Ryan is lying about his real age.

One said: “Why is Ryan lying about his age, 28 my a***.”

Another commented: “Ryan is a transphobe with a hairline like that, he’s apparently 29, you age terribly when you’re evil.”

Meanwhile another said: “If Ryan identifies as 28, it shows that hate really does age you.

Last night Ryan and Matha were left facing off against one another in one of the show’s first tasks.

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Vice President Kamala Harris has reacted favorably to Maya Rudolph’s impression of her on Saturday Night Live.

During a Tuesday (October 8) appearance on ABC’s morning talk show The View, the Democratic presidential nominee was shown a clip of Rudolph parodying her on the cold open of SNL’s new season premiere.

“Your fun aunt has returned,” the comedian said, kicking off the sketch. “I am so happy to be campaigning in whatever swing state I’m in, which I will just refer to as Wisconsin-Pennsylv-Georgia because I am going to protect your Va-Georgia.”

“Oh my God! I hadn’t seen that,” Harris exclaimed.

Asked what she thought of the “spot-on” impersonation, she praised Rudolph, saying: “She is so good.”

“She had the whole thing – the suit, the jewelry, everything!” Harris added.

Rudolph’s return to SNL to spoof the VP came in response to viewers insisting she reprise her fan-favorite character after President Joe Biden announced he would not seek re-election.

The Bridesmaids actor, 52, first debuted her Harris impression back in 2019, where she sparred with Woody Harrelson’s Biden and riffed on Harris’s most memorable lines from the first round of Democratic primary debates.

She then famously brought back her impersonation of Harris for the show’s 46th season in 2021.

During a 2019 appearance on MSNBC, Harris joked that she intended to “keep Maya Rudolph in work for the next eight years.”

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With less than a month until the November election, Harris is ramping up her media appearances, having already sat down for interviews on 60 Minutes and the popular Call Her Daddy podcast.

She is scheduled to appear on Howard Stern’s eponymous SiriusXM radio show as well as The Late Show with Stephen Colbert later tonight.

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Her appearance on Alexandra Cooper’s mega-popular sex-positive podcast divided loyal listeners of the show.

However, Cooper preemptively addressed the anticipated backlash, explaining to fans why she invited Harris for a sit-down.

“As you guys know, I do not usually discuss politics or have politicians on the show because I want Call Her Daddy to be a place that everyone feels comfortable tuning in,” she clarified in a clip played before the interview.

“I talk about topics like mental health, relationships, sex, sexuality, trauma. Overall, my focus is women and the day-to-day issues that we face… At the end of the day, I couldn’t see a world in which one of the main conversations of this election is women and I’m not a part of it.”