Some Betting Sites Suspend Late Late Show Host Betting as Claire Byrne Takes The Lead
Some of the popular betting sites in Ireland have now stopped taking bets on who the next Late Late Show Host will be. As the new holder of the best-known and most prestigious job on Irish television is about to be announced, all signs point towards journalist and TV presenter Claire Byrne. A number of celebrities were rumoured as potential replacements for 14-year show veteran Ryan Tubridy, however some of them have already announced publicly that they are not planning to run for the position.
As the quest to find Tubridy’s replacement is one of the most exciting recent events in television, all large Irish betting sites and bookmakers offered the opportunity for bettors to try and predict the appointment. As such, some of the names thrown in the mix, and the odds associated with them, included radio and TV presenter and reporter Sarah McInerney (3/1) and RTÉ and BBC presenter and broadcaster Angela Scanlon (5/1).
Other professionals and celebrities who attracted wagers from the customers of betting sites such as Ladbrokes included comedian and TV presenter Jennifer Zamparelli, radio and TV personality Baz Ashmawy, RTÉ’s Cutting Edge presenter Brendan O’Connor, entertainment professional Doireann Garrihy, and journalist and presenter Kaite Hannon. Meanwhile, one of the leading favourites for the job, Miriam O’Callaghan, released a public statement towards mid-March in which she confirmed that she was not considering the job. This was due to a large number of commentators and industry experts suggesting that she was one of the obvious choices, sparking a huge amount of bets in her favour.
Commenting on the decision made by Ladbrokes to suspend betting on the next Late Late Show Host, the betting site’s representative Nicola McGeady stated:
“All the signs are pointing in the direction of Claire Byrne when it comes to The Late Late Show. Along with news reports, we witnessed a rush of bets in favour of Byrne first thing this morning despite her short odds. As a result, we have decided to suspend betting on the market for the time being.”
The statement is vague to an extent, suggesting that betting on markets associated with the role may resume across betting sites and bookmakers if there is any significant change in circumstances. Meanwhile, an RTÉ insider has shared that fans of the Late Late Show may be in for an exciting surprise (unless they don’t like changes) as the popular programme may be assuming a new format as soon as September 2023. As part of this “shake-up”, viewers may enjoy not one, but two Late Late Show hosts as of this autumn. At this time, these are only rumours and nothing has been confirmed or even suggested by officials at RTÉ.
It is not clear exactly why Ryan Tubridy has decided to step down after 14 years with the Late Late Show. The surprising announcement was made last month and since then a number of theories have been circulated across the media and Social Media. The most popular of these is that Tubridy has had enough of constantly being in the spotlight, and is now looking for a quiet life. According to a source allegedly close to the host, Tubridy “was never comfortable about being portrayed as a celebrity. He is a very down-to-earth and grounded normal guy who, unlike many others, hates the whole idea of fame.”
The odds leading betting sites in Ireland have given Claire Byrne do not come as a surprise, as she is one of the most experienced and popular names on Irish television. Especially now that more and more celebrities have excluded themselves from the race, Byrne has been described by many as “all but a done deal”. She herself remained silent for a long time, only breaking her silence a week ago, when she neither confirmed nor denied her interest in the job. Byrne has been more heavily involved with radio in recent years, however her new show Ireland’s Smartest started over the weekend. In an interview, Byrne said that her dream job in many respects remains in radio, however she is not saying “never” to TV. She pointed out that her new show works very well with her schedule and that she is exactly where she wants to be.
The situation is certainly not clear cut and there is a lot of room for a surprising plot twist. While Ladbrokes and other bookmakers are currently not interested in bets on the Late Late Show new host, fans can still make a bet on other popular Irish betting sites.