Richard and Judy bid farewell to terrestrial TV

TV couple Richard and Judy broadcast their final terrestrial television show tonight.

After seven years on Channel 4 Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan are moving their popular chat show to digital channel UKTV.

They bid farewell with a special episode featuring a look back over the Channel 4 series and messages from popular guests.

Their first ever guest on the show, actress Amanda Holden, said: “They are so professional, they put you at ease immediately. You feel like you are talking to your next door neighbours. I feel like I can tell them absolutely anything.”

The husband and wife couple were poached by Channel 4 from ITV’s This Morning in 2001 – 26 years after they first started working together on Granada TV.

They will now host a new 60-minute prime-time show on UKTV which will retain the book and wine clubs which proved successful on their Channel 4 programme.

TV chef Jamie Oliver said in a video message: “I love you very much. We’re going to miss you and you’ve been brilliant. Richard you’ve definitely got a filthier mouth than me.”

The pair looked back at some of their most memorable interviews with Bill and Hillary Clinton, Rebecca Loos, John Leslie, George Michael, Cherie and Tony Blair.

Madeley said the question they were asked most was “what are these big a-list celebrities really like?”

“Most of them are really sweet, nice people,” he said.

Comedian Lenny Henry said in his message that the pair were “natural, graceful interviewers”.

“They’ve got that ebb and flow and grace that allows them to mess around.”

At the end of the show Finnigan said: “It has been seven wonderful years. We have had a brilliant time.”