Les Dennis talks why he quit Family Fortunes

Les Dennis has spoken to a podcast about the reasons behind his decision to depart ITV’s game show Family Fortunes after fifteen years.

The show, based on American TV’s Family Feud format, was launched on ITV by ATV in 1980 with comedian Bob Monkhouse as host. After a spell with singer Max Bygraves in the presenter seat Les Dennis took charge in 1987 and remained until 2002.

Talking to White Wine Question Time podcast, Les explained that ITV had decided to revamp their schedules and for the first time in the history of the programme it was going to be produced exclusively for daytime as a five-episodes-a-week show – losing its weekly primetime slot. With the change the budget of the show would be slashed, losing some of the costly prizes and the amount of money that could be won.

Les Dennis was also in for a shock when bosses at Central Television, who then produced the series, also revealed if he was to stay with Family Fortunes he was going to have to accept a 98% pay-cut. He turned down the offer to remain, with Andy Collins taking over hosting duties. Les however was right to quit when he did – the series didn’t survive long in daytime and was axed.

Central TV: Les in 1987 on the set of Family Fortunes

In the 1990s the primetime Family Fortunes pulled in millions of viewers.

‘I’d decided to leave it because it had gone to a daytime slot and I left it because of money, to be honest. ‘They offered an insultingly 98 per cent pay cut – time to go at the right time while it’s still a great show.’

Bosses at Central offered him a guest-role in soap opera Crossroads the following year, however it wasn’t until after a stint in Celebrity Big Brother on Channel 4 that his career began to to have a resurgence, that would also see a spell in Granada produced serial Coronation Street. 

‘Everybody says they go into the Big Brother house or a show like that for charity or whatever, and certainly at that time there was no fee when we were doing those. You say “oh I’m going in for charity”, but I was going in to try and kickstart [my career].’

Les on his final series of Family Fortunes

Parting gift: Central TV cast Les as Doctor Ferguson in Crossroads, 2003

Following his stint in CBB Ricky Gervais decided to cast Les in his comedy Extras.

‘The phone wasn’t ringing until Ricky Gervais called and offered me the twisted, demented version of myself. A lot of friends said “don’t do it Les, they’re just taking the micky”, but they weren’t, he was giving me the chance to show I had a sense of humour about being called Les Miserables. Who would’ve known that would then lead to a reinvention and to the English National Opera and the Royal Shakespeare Company.’

Les Dennis found fame with TV audiences in the mid-1970s appearing on ATV talent show New Faces, his comedy act saw him by the early 1980s in much demand including as part of a popular double act with the late Dustin Gee on series such as Who Do You Do? and The Laughter Show.