The odds on Dara O’Briain taking the coveted role as the new host of the Late Late Show have been slashed after a number of bets were made for the Irish comedian.
While O’Briain isn’t a forerunner in the race to become the next presenter, with Claire Byrne currently taking the top spot, his odds were slashed significantly over the last 24 hours, dropping from 40/1 to 16/1.
O’Briain appeared on the Tommy Tiernan show earlier this month and both are in the running for the position of host. If he was successful it would be a return to hosting for O’Briain, who ended a 17-year stint on BBC’s Mock The Week last year.
READ MORE: Claire Byrne looks likely to be announced as next host of the Late Late Show
Although his odds were slashed, Claire Byrne remains the overwhelming favourite at 4/11 to be in the presenter’s chair when Ryan Tubridy says goodbye to The Late Late Show, despite some new support for outsiders.
A TV insider told the Irish Mirror: “Claire is the most talked about person in RTE at the moment. Everyone is saying she will be the show’s next host if she wants it.
“Claire stepped away from telly almost a year ago to concentrate on her family but when she was announced to host a new quiz show, Ireland’s Smartest, next month, everyone speculated she wants to return to TV.”
Miriam O’Callaghan, an early frontrunner, and Jennifer Zamparelli have both ruled themselves out of the running, meaning Byrne’s original price of 6/1 has now collapsed.
Primetime’s Sarah McInerney is 3/1 second favourite with Ask Me Anything presenter Angela Scanlon falling into 6/1 from 33/1 since betting opened.
Lawrence Lyons, spokesperson for BoyleSports, said: “This could be a longer race than we first thought so some outsiders like Dara O’Briain are taking money at big prices, but if the majority of punters are on the money then Ryan is keeping the seat warm for Claire Byrne.”
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