Next Host Of The Late Late Show Odds: O’Callaghan Favourite To Replace Tubridy
Prime Time presenter Miriam O’Callaghan has been installed as the 4/6 favourite to be the next permanent host of RTÉ’s The Late Late Show.
There is no sign at the moment that Ryan Tubridy is set to vacate his Late Late hot seat at any time in the near future.
However, there is always speculation as to who his long-term successor might be and betting sites have taken a particular interest in this subject.
O’Callaghan Has Strong Presenting Credentials
A native of Foxrock in Dublin, O’Callaghan made history in 2020 when she became the first female presenter to host a full episode of a talk show that has been on the air since 1962.
This was due to the fact that Tubridy had tested positive for Covid-19 and was forced to self-isolate as a result.
The late Marian Finucane had presented part of an episode alongside Gay Byrne in November 1980, but O’Callaghan moved a step further.
On the face of it, it is easy to see why O’Callaghan has been earmarked as Tubridy’s eventual successor.
For the past 27 years, she has been a co-host of the current affairs programme Prime Time and she had her own summer talk show – Saturday Night with Miriam – that was broadcast on and off from 2005 to 2017.
Given The Late Late Show combines the subjects that were regularly covered throughout these programmes, O’Callaghan has already established she has the chops to handle Irish television’s most coveted gig.
Previous host Pat Kenny and Tubridy worked as Saturday night chat show hosts before taking on Late Late duties and this won’t have gone unnoticed to the bosses in RTÉ.
The one potential caveat is that O’Callaghan recently turned 63 and a lot of the presenters within this age bracket have been moved on by the national broadcaster in recent times.
Gay Byrne was just shy of his 65th birthday when he stood down from The Late Late Show after 37-years at the helm, but at the same time there is no sign of O’Callaghan moving into semi-retirement.
O’Connor Also Figures Highly In Late Late Show Betting
Coming in as second favourite as the next Late Late Show host is Cork man Brendan O’Connor. Like Kenny and Tubridy, he has previous experience on the Saturday night talk show circuit.
From 2010 to 2015, he hosted The Saturday Night Show. Broadcast every week during the autumn-spring season, O’Connor often garnered as much attention for his interviews as Tubridy did during his opening five years as Late Late Show host.
He went on from there to present the panel show Cutting Edge, is a regular presenter on RTÉ radio every Saturday and Sunday, and is also heavily involved in the newspaper industry with The Sunday Independent.
The 53-year-old is currently rated at 3/1 with BoyleSports and looks to be a viable candidate as a potential replacement for Tubridy.
Tiernan And Byrne Worthy Of Consideration
Coming in behind him at 6/1 are Tommy Tiernan and Claire Byrne.
Though more commonly known as a comedian, Tiernan has been hosting a self-titled chat show since January 2017.
It is a programme with a very unique format as neither Tiernan or the studio audience has any idea who the guest will be until they walk onto the stage.
While there are several faces that Tiernan is familiar with – such as his former teacher and current Meath Gaelic Football manager Colm O’Rourke – he often finds himself going on a voyage of discovery during a given episode.
The fact that he is producing such compelling television without the benefit of research and pre-prepared questions makes him a strong contender for The Late Late Show.
Many feel his independent spirit might become lost on a massive undertaking like The Late Late, but he could provide RTÉ with an opportunity to bring the programme in an entirely new direction.
Following previous stints at TV3 (now rebranded as Virgin Media Television) and Newstalk, Laois woman Byrne joined RTÉ in 2010.
She has worked steadily across television and radio in that time, including serving as a Prime Time co-presenter alongside O’Callaghan and Kenny.
She can currently be found on the airwaves on Today with Claire Byrne and was also seen on TV screens as the host of Claire Byrne Live from 2015 to 2022.
A return to the small screen can’t be ruled out for Byrne and The Late Late Show is an opportunity she’d grasp with both hands if it did become available at some point in the future.
Ó Sé And McInerney Could Be Possible Alternatives
Co-presenter of the lifestyle show Today, Kerry’s Dáithí Ó Sé is rated as an 8/1 by new betting sites possibility to become the next Late Late Show host.
He is already the face of one show that Gay Byrne previously presented – The Rose of Tralee – and can’t be ruled out of the equation for a second of the late, great Dubliner’s previous jobs.
Hailing from Barna in Galway, Sarah McInerney has – like the aforementioned Claire Byrne – worked for both Newstalk and TV3 in the past. To continue this connection, she is also a current co-presenter of Prime Time.
She is still in the infancy of her time at RTÉ as she didn’t join the broadcaster until May 2020.
She spent the following few months as host of the radio programme Today With Sarah McInerney as an interim replacement for previous presenter Sean O’Rourke, before Claire Byrne eventually took over this slot.
She is now the presenter of evening commute programme Drivetime and first joined the Prime Team in April 2021. According to BoyleSports, she is 10/1 as a potential Late Late Show host.
D’Arcy And Ó Briain Potential Dark Horses
Outside of these main contenders, Ray D’Arcy (a host of several television and radio programmes over a long career) is rated at 12/1 by betting apps to become a future Late Late Show host.
The UK-based Dara Ó Briain ruled himself out of the running when Pat Kenny left the programme in 2009, but he can be found at 20/1 to have a change of heart.
Finally, if you are so inclined you’ll find Vincent Browne, George Hook and a return for Pat Kenny all priced at a whopping 500/1.