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Northern comic may be in line to succeed Byrne

February 16, 2011

By Staff Reporter

By Andrew Bushe

DUBLIN — With Gay Byrne due to sign off after a record 37 years hosting the "Late Late Show" at the end of the month, County Down comedian Patrick Kielty is emerging as the favorite to take over.

Though trying to follow in the footsteps of the hugely popular "Uncle Gaybo" could end up being a poison chalice for ambitious television personalities, many in the station are interested in the job.

No final decision on a successor is expected to be taken until next month.

Kielty, who’s 28, has shot up the show business career ladder since he began as a stand-up comic in Belfast’s clubs. He has hosted his own variety show, "PK Tonight," on BBC Northern Ireland and then moved to London and a Channel 4 comedy-quiz show before landing the coveted role as joint-presenter of the "UK National Lottery Show," with its estimated 15 million audience in Britain.

Kielty has himself has been a guest on the "Late Late Show" and will be well aware of the potential problems of trying to follow Byrne, though the show’s format is expected to undergo a major restyling.

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The veteran host is credited with changing the face of the country with his long-running radio and TV shows, which have been much-imitated worldwide.

Richard Branson has appointed Byrne, 65, who has already a huge send-off when he quit his long-running radio show last December, to the board of Virgin airlines.

Byrne, who has had a passion for flying since he was young and is now describing himself as a "born again virgin," had strongly hinted that he would love such a role in the aviation industry in his retirement.

Kielty may seem young for the "Late Late" job, but he already has more experience under his belt than Byrne did when he pioneered the show at the same age in the early 1960s.

The Dundrum-born comic’s loyal fan-base extends across the religious divide in Northern Ireland despite his biting attacks on the sectarian political system.

If he agrees to take over the show next September, the its ratings would almost certainly soar in the North. RTE will become more widely available in homes with cable and as a result of broadcasting signal changes that are expected to follow the peace agreement.

When he was 17, Kielty’s father Jack was shot dead by loyalist gunmen in an apparently sectarian attack. A loyalist paramilitary who received a life sentence for his part in the killing was released last year under the terms of the peace agreement.

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