Noel Edmonds to present TV series from his New Zealand country estate | Noel Edmonds

It appears this is becoming a rite of passage for the former Top Gear presenter, who has been the subject of much public criticism.

Noel Edmonds will be following in the footsteps of Jeremy Clarkson and presenting a new TV series from his country cottage. The 75-year-old presenter, who started working as a DJ in the late 1960s, will host the series from his own parklands and vineyards in New Zealand and has reportedly signed a £1m deal to return to TV after a six-year absence.

“Noel's incredibly eccentric life story will be TV gold,” said the anonymous source. He told The Sun.

The show is expected to air on ITV, which is hoping to replicate the success of Prime Video's Clarkson's Farm, hosted by former Top Gear presenter Clarkson, which became an unexpected hit around the world, including in China.

Channel 4 also broadcasts celebrity-run farming show Our Dream Farm, starring former Top Gear presenter Matt Baker.

Edmonds began his television career in the 1970s as a presenter on Top of the Pops, and then went on to present the Saturday morning children's programme Multicoloured Swap Shop, which aired from 1976 to 1982. He presented the first series of Top Gear, and went on to present a series of quiz shows including Telly Addicts and Deal or No Deal, which ceased in 2016 after around 3,000 episodes.

Edmonds is currently River HavenHe runs the resort, a rural retreat in Ngatimoti, South Island, New Zealand, with vineyards, restaurants, pubs, bike rides and classic cars, with his wife Liz, whom he met and married while working as a make-up artist on the TV show Deal or No Deal.

Edmonds was a contestant on I'm a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! in 2018 and was the first person to be eliminated that year when football boss Harry Redknapp won the competition.

After Deal or No Deal, which became famous for its red boxes containing prizes ranging from 1p to £250,000, was axed by Channel 4, Edmonds embarked on a farewell tour of the UK, where he showed audiences the show's 22 red boxes at famous landmarks.

Only nine people won the £250,000 jackpot during the original show's 11-year run. Deal or No Deal is returning to ITV in 2023, hosted by Stephen Mulhern.

Edmonds had a short stint as host of Channel 4 comedy Cheap Cheap in 2017.