Michael Barrymore doesn’t want a TV comeback because he thinks social media is better.
The former presenter, 71, who fronted a string of big shows in the 80s and 90s, reckons the small screen is on its way out.
He told the Daily Star Sunday: “I’m not chasing TV. Why would I go back to TV? People aren’t watching telly now.
READ MORE: Inside Michael Barrymore’s pool party that ended in death and downfall
“In the 90s when I was in the studio we were getting 22million viewers. Those figures aren’t there in telly anymore.
“The figures for TV get less and less. That’s what some people are struggling to realise.”
Michael thinks video-sharing app TikTok is the future.
(Image: Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
He added: “The TV might be on in people’s homes, but they’re not watching it… they are on their smartphones. That’s where the audience is now. And you have to go to where the audience is.”
Michael launched his own page on TikTok two years ago and his videos have racked up millions of views.
It has given him the chance to entertain fans.
He said: “I’m too happy and too busy doing TikTok to do TV. You don’t get such big numbers on TV.
(Image: PA)
“My fans that grew up watching me have reconnected with me. And with their kids, I have a new audience.
“It allows them to engage with me. I can talk back to them. What channel can you watch and talk to everyone straight after it?”
Michael is also working as a theatre director on West End show Laurel & Chaplin — The Feud.
The ex-TV presenter’s downfall began after a man was found dead in his pool.
His infamous party in 2001 led to the death of Stuart Lubbock, 31, after he attended the star’s afterparty.
(Image: PA)
Michael was interrogated by police but was eventually cleared of all charges, though Stuart’s family felt as if they never received any answers.
A post-mortem found that Stuart had sustained severe anal injuries, along with suffered severe internal injuries and results that showed he had gone into cardiac arrest.
Stuart’s father Terry Lubbock denied rumours circling at the time of group sex and said his son identified as heterosexual.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
