Disgraced presenter Jonathan Ross may not return to the BBC at all after his three-month ban, fellow broadcaster Sir Terry Wogan has predicted.
Ross has been suspended without pay for his role in making lewd phone calls to Fawlty Towers star Andrew Sachs and, on Friday, his career suffered another blow when he stepped down as host of the British Comedy Awards.
Radio 2 breakfast show host Sir Terry said the suspension of Ross - which will cost him £1.5 million in salary - diminished "not just him but also his reputation".
He told the Daily Telegraph: "What the BBC has done to Jonathan by the suspension is terminal. It is very damaging to him and I would not be surprised if he did not come back."
Fellow Radio 2 presenter Jeremy Vine questioned how Ross could return to the station at the end of his suspension. He said: "It will be interesting to see how he manages given the damage to this radio station. I'm going to be interested to see that - I'm not quite sure how it's going to work."
Ross's regular Radio 2 slot is being presented by Richard Allinson.
The announcement that Ross is stepping down as Comedy Awards host came during preparations for a lavish Halloween party at his multi-million-pound home in Hampstead, north London.
Guests included comedians Jack Dee and Alan Carr, Radio 1 DJ Chris Moyles and boxer Chris Eubank. There were also hundreds of children, but Ross did not make an appearance.
Next month's Comedy Awards would have been the presenter's 17th year in the role. He was reported to be pocketing £100,000 for the ceremony, broadcast by ITV and watched by about 10 million viewers.
Comedian Jimmy Carr, who was seen entering Ross's home on Friday, is being tipped as favourite to take the job.
