An  “exhausted” Jonathan Ross is to leave the BBC -- preparing a possible move for him to a broadcaster in the US and opening opportunities for Graham Norton to become the new face of the corporation.

Norton, who signed a two-year deal with the BBC this week, is likely to take over chat show responsibilities from Ross, 49, who has decided not to renegotiate with the corporation when his current contract, alleged to be worth £6 million-a-year, comes to an end.

Irish comedian and presenter Norton is tipped to front a nightly chat show and veteran film critic Mark Kermode is likely to be the new face of the BBC’s film reviews.

Ross, speaking at his London home yesterday, said: “I’ve had a great 13 years at the BBC. I think it’s probably not a bad time for me to move on and probably not a bad time for them either.

“It’s been terrific. I would love to stay and make more shows with them. I’ve got six months left and I’m going to go back and try and make the best shows of my career with them.”

The shock announcement, revealed to the press before BBC staff were told, still means that Ross will present Friday Night, Film 2010 and his Radio 2 show for the next six months, along with the BAFTA Awards and Comic Relief for BBC Television, but will officially depart in July.

The end of his 13-year stint comes just over a year after he was suspended by for “grossly offensive” prank calls he made with Russell Brand to the actor Andrew Sachs, and a series of other controversies.

Insiders suggested that Ross could be heading to America to re-invigorate his career.

Last night Alan Yentob, creative director of the BBC, said it had been a tough year for Ross and he was “exhausted” and wanted to have a time away from broadcasting.

“I think it has taken its toll on him, all this, and he did come off the air for a while,” he said. “Maybe he wants to clear the decks and take a break.”

Ross’s pay at the BBC, although never confirmed by the broadcaster, was reported to be around £18m over three years. He declared he was prepared to take a 50% pay cut to stay.

He had recently revealed on his Twitter account that he was in meetings with people from the US, and sources have suggested he could be in talks to front a programme in America.

He thanked fans via Twitter yesterday for their “kind words”.

In his statement, he said: “Although I have had a wonderful time working for the BBC, and am very proud of the shows I have made while there, over the last two weeks I have decided not to renegotiate when my current contract comes to an end.

“I would like to make it clear that no negotiations ever took place and that my decision is not financially motivated.

 “I signed my current contract with the BBC having turned down more lucrative offers from other channels because it was where I wanted to be and would happily have stayed there for any fee they cared to offer, but there were other considerations.

“Working at the BBC has been a tremendous privilege, and I would like to thank everyone who has watched and listened so loyally over the last 13 years.’’

Jana Bennett, the director of BBC Vision, said in a statement that she “understood” why Ross had decided to leave. She said: “It’s been a difficult year for him and I understand why he feels it’s the right thing to do.

Ms Bennett said she was pleased Ross would continue working for the BBC until his contract ended.

Why Ross’s departure has not been too much of a surprise

Comment: Brian Beacom

JONATHAN Ross’s exit from the BBC was as predictable as his walking on to the set of his Friday night chat show wearing a £5000 suit, overgrown floppy hair, and an insouciant grin.

Ross, in the 23 years since he became a presenter on The Last Resort, has become one of the most successful TV hosts Britain has ever seen. But boy does he know it.

When the BBC in 2006 decided to pay him £18m it was confirmation, in his own mind at least, that his was a talent that is irreplaceable. OBE? It could well stand for One Big Ego.

The nation once loved Ross, there’s no doubt. His cheeky-chappy humour, his Cockney boldness (even though he was grammar school educated and his mother an actress) translated into great television and radio.

But along the way, the signs emerged that the boy wonder was morphing into the archetypal, thick-skinned American chat show host. His work became Letterman-like self-referential, with more looks to camera, more personal references, more guests who were chums (such as Ricky Gervais) with little to say and, worse still, less attention to interview detail.

Then came the real warning signs and the Russell Brand/Andrew Sachs affair.

What should have happened afterwards was Ross would emerge contrite. He should have had a Chris Evans-like epiphany and realised he’d been a very naughty boy and that to work with the BBC at that level is really the best media work in the world and that his short suspension was a punishment -- but very much a jotter down his trousers caning. But Ross, it seems, hasn’t seen that.

Only Ant and Dec and perhaps Harry Hill have anything like the pulling power Ross has. But they’re clever enough not to cross the line.

In leaving Auntie behind, JR may well find he’s now the villain, and on the wrong side of the tracks.