A TV producer poured a bucket of ice over a Channel 4 boss he accused of axing Countdown queen Carol Vorderman.
Steve Roberts, 38, shouted `This is for sacking Carol' before drenching Channel 4 daytime boss Helen Warner at a glitzy awards bash.
Mr Roberts, from Urmston, then walked outside to smoke a cigarette. He was later arrested and spent the night in the cells.
Bosses at ITV Granada, where freelancer Mr Roberts worked on the Party Politics show and Granada Reports, suspended him. He later resigned.
A source at the black-tie ceremony, held at a top London hotel, said Mr Roberts appeared to be `cool as a cucumber' as he approached Helen Warner.
He said: "He strolled over, picked up the ice box off her table and said `Hello Helen'. She said hello and he replied `This is for sacking Carol' and launched the bucket over her.
Drenched
"She screamed some abuse at him, but he just put the box back on the table and walked off. She was drenched."
The incident took place at the Broadcast Awards at the swanky Grosvenor House Hotel in Park Lane, Mayfair.
It is understood the hotel manager intervened following the incident. Mr Roberts is thought to have apologised and offered to pay for Ms Warner's dry cleaning but the police were called.
Last year Ms Warner was at the centre of a storm after it emerged number cruncher Carol Vorderman was leaving the show.
Reports claimed Ms Warner had offered her a `take it or leave it' pay cut of 90 per cent.
As a result, Cambridge graduate Ms Vorderman, 47, quit - prompting fury from many of the show's viewers. Known as the show's numbers queen she had spent 26 years wowing audiences with her mathematical genius.
The posh ceremony was presented by Welsh comic Rob Brydon, star of BBC One show Gavin And Stacey. It is recognised as one of the highlights in the TV awards calendar. All the awards had been handed over when the incident happened at 11.50pm on Wednesday.
Mr Roberts was on a table with workers from Granada Reports. The news programme did not pick up any prizes. It is thought he had been drinking.
Released
Following the incident both Roberts and Warner were taken to Charing Cross police station. Roberts was held in a cell for about four hours before being released.
A spokesman for ITV said: "A freelance journalist for ITV Granada was involved in an incident with a Channel 4 employee at an awards ceremony and as a result this person is no longer working for us.
"ITV has issued a personal apology to the Channel 4 staff member concerned."
A spokesman for Channel 4 described the attack as `unprovoked'.
He added: "The man in question was subsequently arrested and has been cautioned."
Roberts was suspended as soon as ITV Granada bosses heard about the fracas on Thursday. He then handed his resignation in after returning to Manchester.
Carol Vorderman was unavailable for comment.
Countdown is now hosted by Sky Sports presenter Jeff Stelling, 53, and 22-year-old Oxford graduate Rachel Riley.
Comments
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Something really worth getting upset about.
I'm dumbfounded!
I am appauled that this story about a bunch of champagne charlies are behaving this way at the time when some of us have lost our jobs and cant afford such luxuries.
It is good to see Mr Roberts did the decent thing but it begs the question why was he at this alcohol fuelled event and who egged him on?
Was it Carol Vorderman? Are they close?
I think most of the bosses at these tv channels need firing and start the companies up again.most are overpaid and under tallented. TV bosses need to think outside the boes and stop hiring run of the mill talent.TV is getting boring they need to get back to the basics and start to entertain the viewing public again.
Ah yes, Carol Vorderman, the queen of the finance ads that encouraged the poor to put their homes at risk with cheap loans they couldn´t possibly pay back resulting in the recession.
Is this the return of TISWAS
Carol Vorderman is a great person, but the programme is as boring as playing with a calculator
Pandora, it's not Carol Vorderman's fault that some people are incapable of using a bit of common sense with regard to their finances and then wondering why they got themselves into a pickle.
Pandora
Your at it again making excuses for weak people who cannot make their own way in life? Ive never been in debt in my life because i dont buy anything i cannot afford.I budget for things i want and dont buy things i cannot afford.I
Pandora
Making excuses up for the weak in our society.i dont need people like carol vorderman to tell me i need to borrow money for things i cannot afford.I just wait and pay for the things i can afford.Its time people had some backbone and made their own way in life rather than allow others to make excuses for their stupidity and greed.
"I think most of the bosses at these tv channels need firing and start the companies up again.most are overpaid and under tallented. TV bosses need to think outside the boes and stop hiring run of the mill talent.TV is getting boring they need to get back to the basics and start to entertain the viewing public again." -
Ace Shakespeare , manchester
I agree, Ace... let's get back to 'Muffin the Mule'!
seriously, who cares.
it's a storm in an ice bucket made to look like the crime of the century.
being blessed with a half decent sense of humour i would've found it hilarious. but i suppose i'm whats wrong with our society today; not serious enough.
good on you for having a laugh mr bennett and bringing the self important down a peg.
I've been a big Countdown fan for years. The new girl is wonderful - pleasant, brainy, pretty, slim, young and shapely. She wears lovely clothes too.
Now what was the name of that woman who did her job previously? I've forgotten already.
Well done Channel 4 for picking such a great new girl. Mr Stelling is OK too and the game is as entertaining as it ever was.
But people are influenced by the idiot box, that´s why advertisements are made.
I wish I had been there, but only to dry her off though-she is quite a tidy piece.
middle class behaving as scum. what would they say about the behaviour of the hoi polloi.
Selina Scott did it all befor with class.
I've watched the new presenters of Countdown. I think Rachel and Jeff are really good and have gelled very well, so I will be watching regularly. The only tiny niggle I have is that Rachel does not stand very well and perhaps would benefit from lower heels but otherwise, she is so relaxed and natural.
Muffin the Mule! Isn't that a sex offence?
It is good to know that the police are there to arrest people on complaint and not circumstances. Even at private and booze driven events, such as these.
It is an assault but of the lowest level and an apology and the costs of dry cleaning offered prior. There were also other job related sanctions.
It would have been interesting to see the result if the ice bucket had been emptied by someone higher then Ms Warner.
So well done the police, the target to criminalise as many people as possible continues.
Dave Pickup, it certainly is a criminal offence, just like Dobbin the Donkey.
Great nights work Steve- arrested and then resigned/soaked- sorry sacked!
Vorderman: She kept the profile of the show going and was adored by lots of people Nationwide, so yes maybe someone in the media business loved her too, as she was a classy lady.
Will miss her as the brains of the show, as do now!