Saturday nights will see a new chat show on RTE 1, with changing presenters, the Managing Director of Television, Mr Joe Mulholland, said yesterday.
He made the announcement as he confirmed one of the worst kept secrets in Irish broadcasting - that Pat Kenny will take over the Late, Late Show.
As predicted, the longest running chat show in the world will still be screened on Friday nights. However, there will be a new signature tune and changes to the format.
The 11-year-old Kenny Live will end and the new Saturday night show will be entertainment- rather than discussion-driven.
"It will have no fixed presenter," said Mr Mulholland, "but will be hosted by a range of invited presenters."
The first Late, Late Show with Kenny at the helm will be screened on either the first or second Friday in September, while the new Saturday show will begin towards the end of September, he said.
Gay Byrne's final Late Late Show attracted 1.3 million viewers, or 88 per cent of the viewing public, according to figures released by RTE yesterday. These are the highest figures for any programme in RTE's history.
However, Byrne will be back in the autumn, with eight half-hour programmes looking at Irish comedy from the archives. Its working title is Make 'em Laugh.
Pat Kenny "had some reservations" about taking over the Late, Late Show, said Mr Mulholland, but "he accepted our view" that the show should continue on Friday nights.
