Now that Andy Duncan and Channel 4 have finally agreed terms for his departure - a mere £585,000 severance package from the apparently cash-strapped broadcaster - all eyes must turn to who will replace him.
In a particularly revealing comment, Channel 4's chairman, Luke Johnson, said that Duncan's successor 'must have considerable experience of TV. They must have a vision and an understanding of the digital world.... They need to bring different ideas and energy. They need to have stature.'
Whatever can he mean?
ITV's director of programming Peter Fincham is the name being bandied around as the obvious candidate to fill Duncan's trainers. But given that insiders claim that part of the reason that Channel 4's board became dysfunctional was that Duncan clashed with his mercurial head of television, Kevin Lygo, to the extent that their relationship had irretrievably broken down, getting a fellow programmer in as Lygo's boss looks an unlikely move.
Given the changes that are going on at Channel 4 and ITV, it's unlikely that a new chief executive will be appointed any time soon - and possibly not until after Johnson's departure.
With a new chairman - or possibly chairwoman - who may be closer allied to the likely incoming Tory government, Johnson's comments could perhaps be seen as more of a bitchy parting shot at what he considers Duncan's deficiencies rather than the prerequisites for his replacement.
