The presenter Jonathan Ross claims that the atmosphere within the BBC has changed so dramatically, with those running it constantly trying to second guess what newspapers and the next government will say about them, that he can't wait to leave.

After years as one of the BBC's highest paid and most criticised stars he will leave his Friday night chatshow, the Film 2010 programme and his Saturday morning Radio 2 music show when his contract expires in July. His most recent three year contract was reputed to be worth £18m, a sum neither he nor the BBC ever confirmed.

Ross has already said that his decision to leave was not financially motivated, but that there were "other considerations".

In an interview in tomorrow's Guardian Weekend magazine, he gives the first insight into those considerations. "I can't wait to get out ... because the whole place has changed quite dramatically. I think it's a shame that the people running it are always trying to second guess what the newspapers will say about them – and whatever the next government we wind up with will say about them. The experience of being there isn't quite the place it was. And it's a terrible, terrible shame."

In 2008 Ross triggered one of the greatest scandals to hit the corporation in recent years, when he and comedian Russell Brand left a series of obscene phone messages for the actor Andrew Sachs about his granddaughter, prompting 38,000 complaints to the broadcast watchdog Ofcom.

In the interview Ross described the experience as "quite fun".

"It was quite entertaining. It was weird watching people get themselves into a lather over something so intrinsically unimportant as that. It was just so silly. Silly people writing silly things.

"Life can sometimes potter along in the same direction, and then something comes along over which you have no control. It was literally within about four days of it all kicking off that I just thought, you know what, there's no way I can control this, there's no way I can change this. So I've just got to not let it bother me. And it became almost like I was watching it happen to somebody else."

He is writing a new comic book, Turf – illustrated by the American artist Tommy Lee Edwards – but said he is determined to keep working in TV.

"One of the hardest things about leaving the BBC was the fact that a lot of people love the shows, and I feel I owe it to them and their loyalty not to waltz off. And part of the reason is I don't want the people who did come out against me to in any way have a sense of triumph. It's as simple as that.

"So it's really just to continue being an irritant. They're not people I have ever respected or liked, and if I can continue to be very publicly successful, that is its own reward for me."

Can't saw I'll miss him Poss only for film program, where he wasn't too bad.

His actions were worse than Brands, who at least resigned. Wossy was an A-hole of the highest order and so gave up on his shows ages ago. He was gwossly overpaid. It was his actions that gave the ret of the media a reason to attack the BBC.

Wasn't Brand pretty much forced to leave (not that he shouldn't have expected it)? And the BBC had paid Ross too much money to get rid of him at that point.

There was definitely a hint of the attacks being directed at the BBC (from the usual suspects obviously), but I think they were more about looking to bring down Ross since 'he'd gotten too big for his boots' in their eyes, which would be typical of the mainstream British press attitude...

Can you see the common theme here? The BBC management are, frankly, an appalling bunch of incompetents who have done more to ruin a great institution than Rupert Murdoch could dream of.

Brand was the scapegoat, but the BBC did not want to lose a big star like Wossy. I heard the telephone call on the Brand show and it was mainly Wossy who caused offence. The press have it in for the BBC because with it around they cannot charge for UK web news. I will be glad to see the back of Wossy. The BBC should make a star of someone new. It would be a lot cheaper as well.

Is he over paid? That's up to the market to value.

The BBC shouldn't be part of the normal market.