CHANNEL 10 has been rocked by news that Charlie Pickering is quitting his co-hosting job on The Project.

It’s a blow to the network and the show as it comes just months after the popular Dave Hughes vacated his chair on the panel to pursue opportunities in stand-up comedy.

While Ten has thrown its support behind Pickering’s decision to leave, he will not be replaced.

Instead, producers will focus on expanding the roles of the remaining two co-hosts, Carrie Bickmore and Peter Helliar, while relying more heavily on rotating panellists including Andrew Rochford, Steve Price, Todd Sampson and others.

Pickering and Hughes are foundation members of The Project, having worked tirelessly to help the show find an audience in the cutthroat early-evening timeslot.

Ten has shown great faith in The Project, though it has at times been buffeted by programming decisions made by its rival networks.

This year, for instance, it’s had to face a fresh news battle, with Nine and Seven committing to hourlong bulletins.

Pickering leaves after nearly five years behind the desk and 1,200 episodes.

He made the decision to quit late last year, after much deliberation. His last show will be on Monday, April 7 — three months short of The Project’s fifth anniversary.

“The Project has been an incredible ride,” Pickering says.

“I have been able to interview everyone from prime ministers and astrophysicists to my comedy heroes like Will Ferrell, John Cleese, Clive James and Billy Connolly.

“As a stand-up comedian, I have never planned to do one thing for five years, let alone five days a week. At the end of last year it was clear to me that I needed to find new challenges.

“I’m very thankful to Ten for all they have done for me. From casting me as a team captain on Talkin’ ‘Bout Your Generation to believing that I could anchor a show like The Project, their support has been invaluable. I hope it is a relationship that will continue into the future.

“I will miss working with Carrie Bickmore, Pete Helliar and all of our regulars. I will miss having my hair maintained by a team of professionals.

“Our show has been able to provide a voice to many in our community who go unnoticed. And of that I am immensely proud.

“Sarah (Pickering’s wife) and I are also thrilled to be expecting our first child later this year, and will use this opportunity to take a trip overseas while we still can.”

Peter Meakin, who has just started as Ten’s executive director of news and current affairs, says: “As a network, we owe Charlie a big debt of gratitude. He has been an essential part of The Project for five years. We have already discussed another concept which would showcase his considerable talents but it’s very early days yet.”

When the show formerly known as The 7PM Project premiered in 2009, it was widely suggested Ten was committing to seemingly dicey venture in a timeslot that had, over a long period, delivered Channel 10 a revolving door of failures.

Initially, the doubts about the show were hard to ignore. The 7PM Project was going to offer a potentially awkward mix of news, chat and comedy. Ten seemed overly optimistic the show would appeal to a demographic — young — that simply wasn’t into early-evening TV news shows.

The 7PM Project made a promising debut, reaching nearly 1.3 million viewers.

But by February 2010, some media commentators were adamant the time had come for a mercy killing.

Gradually, The 7PM Project, later simply retitled The Project when it was extended to an hour, found its feet. Bickmore, Pickering and Hughes discovered a chemistry that was lacking in the early days and rotating panellists came to terms with the show’s objective — to be a news show with a twist rather than a comedy show that does a little bit of news.

It’s understood Pickering was keen to depart some months ago, but stayed longer than planned so the show could bed in Helliar — Hughes’ replacement.