The Rise and Rise of Antony Cotton

It seems there’s no stopping that Antony Cotton. What’s next, world domination? Yes, Cotton, otherwise known as Coronation Street’s knicker stitcher and barman, Sean Tully, is celebrating after landing a second series of his ITV1 chat show, That Antony Cotton Show.

Despite being slammed by the critics, the show has proved popular with audiences and pulled in good ratings, often beating daytime royalty that is Richard and Judy over on Channel 4.

But wait, there’s more! As if recommissioning another series of his chat show isn't enough, ITV bosses are also in the stages of developing a quiz show to be fronted by Cotton.

"Antony's proved a big hit with viewers outside of Corrie, so it makes sense to give him a game show,” an ITV insider told the Sun newspaper.

"He's got a great rapport with audiences and has always wanted to front a game show. We've not decided what show it will be yet - it could well be an old favourite like Mr And Mrs."

Well, it certainly looks like 2008 is going to be a very busy year for Anthony Cotton.