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‘SATURDAY NIGHT SHOW’ host Brendan O’Connor has been speaking about the prospect of Ray D’Arcy taking over from him, amid continuing speculation that the former Today FM host is being lined up for a weekend show.
The ex-Den presenter has signed up to present new TV projects at the national broadcaster as part of his contract following his move from the commercial station last December.
He’s been repeatedly linked with an ‘Ant n’ Dec style’ evening entertainment show in reports recently — however, D’Arcy himself told the RTÉ Guide it wouldn’t be something he was interested in.
“When I was in my 30s I would have aspired to doing something like that, but, no, absolutely no desire now,” the presenter said.
Whatever about an ITV-style entertainment show, a weekend chat show still seems the most likely destination for the popular host.
That might require unseating O’Connor from his slot. Not a prospect the Cork journalist would relish, he told Radio 1′s John Murray this morning — but he expects to be told one way or another after chat show’s current run.
“I did see that Ray D’Arcy is going to present an Ant n’ Dec style show instead of the Saturday Night Show. Yeah. Sounds good,” O’Connor dead-panned.
Didn’t expect to last…
Before he began his tenure presenting the show, he told Murray, he would “certainly never have expected to last five years, because I would have presumed I would have done something majorly disastrous at this stage, and we would have been pulled off the air in some kind of national scandal”.
We came close to few of those along the way but survived this far.
Asked about the D’Arcy rumours, he said:
“It’s been a great five years. Equally, I would say that I think our numbers are up hugely on last year. I think that’s very unusual in television at the moment.
“I think the thing is firing on all cylinders at the moment and I think, you know, there’s a lot more we could do.
But, you know, whatever they decide in their wisdom. If Ray D’Arcy doing an Ant n’ Dec style show is what’s required, well sure look they’ll decide, and I’m sure I’ll find out at some stage.
Meanwhile, Ryan Tubridy has also been speaking about the mooted weekend reshuffle, this week, telling the Indo: “Brendan O’Connor is the presenter of Saturday Night and I haven’t heard anything to the contrary on that front”.
Might as well just criminalise depression while you’re at it too.
@Jamie McCormack: You don’t think talking depressed people into committing suicide is wrong?
@Boutros Boutros-Ghali: Of course it is, I hadn’t made that connection though. Fair point.
@Jamie McCormack: You should try thinking, it’s great.
@Boutros Boutros-Ghali: easy to do when your not suffering from depression!
@Ashling Visser Bishop: All the more reason to criminalise those who would try to talk depressed people into committing suicide.
@Jamie McCormack: There’s quite big difference between tragically succumbing to your own depression, and taking somebody else, somebosy who is likely also very vulnerable, with yoym
How on earth is making a suicide pact a criminal offence going to help stop people from doing it?? If they genuinely want to prevent people from committing suicide then they need to understand what’s driving people to it in the first place and then provide support. FFS what they gonna do follow you to the other side with a court summons?!
@Alison O’Connor: I agree, it’s a stupid approach. What is life without quality of life? Maybe they have terrible palliative care or something? Loneliness if a wife or husband dies, maybe? Or it might be poverty that drives some to it? Yes, I’m certain they could do more for their citizens if they listened to them. But who the heck is going to confide in their nurses if they’re considering what’s been turned into a criminal act?
@Alison O’Connor: it’s cheaper than investing in mental health. Korea is an even lore neo liberal kip than Ireland is and culturaly they tend not to care about anyone not “economically viable”.
S Korean society is basically based on slave labour. There is so much pressure on young men in particular to study and become a “salary man”. They only have one day off a week and during the week it is from 6am to often 9pm. At the same time pretty young women are worshiped and envied by both men and women, at the same time women do not have military conscription. Not so pretty women take out loans for plastic surgery and then wait for a rich man to marry them. It is a pretty messed up place.
You seem to have everything understood about Korea ? Koreans have 2 days off…The pressure it high to study though, that’s clear, but they work from 9am to 6, sometimes later
@Séamus McCallion: ‘A pretty messed up place’ is a sweeping generalisation for a country of over 50 million. Korean society has its problems like most developed countries, a high suicide rate the one that grabs all the headlines, but it’s a wonderful country of wonderful hospital people. I lived there, and with Koreans, for almost a decade and know what I’m talking about. You clearly do not, however.
@davidMbyrne.com: ‘hospitable people’ even!
@Séamus McCallion: North korea is a lot better dispite all the media attacks.
He’s typing this from his mommy’s spare room. I live in Busan, I’m curious where he gets his made up thoughts on Korean society from. Maybe he was left broken hearted by a pretty Korean girl ?
Made up thoughts? No. I am friends with a Korean couple who tell it as it is.
@Stephen Kennedy: The west through the eyes of north korea. Youtube.
You should take a trip out of Ireland sometime to open your mind for yourself. It seems you don’t actually know anything about Korea.
A Korean couple who left Korea and are in Ireland, talking negative about the place :o Sounds like me talking about Ireland after a few pints
@davidMbyrne.com: good man Dave but left you forget everyone here knows everything better and our society is always correct
@davidMbyrne.com: your experience of a section korean life doesn’t make u an expert..a little knowledge and all that.
@Stephen Kennedy: Actually they live in Seoul right now. I agree there are many great things about Korea but for the average person life is very tough with no safety net whatsoever.
Sure it’s been an offense, here (actually wonder if it still is) that’s why we say such & such “committed” suicide, because was (or is) a offense.
@Censorship is modern day book burning:
So you would say John/Mary “committed” suicide instead of “is” (or “are”) suicide?
Is English your first language??
@Joe Phillips: Is it yours?
@Boutros Boutros-Ghali: evidently not
I’m living in Seoul at the moment. Suicide is a big problem as they don’t support those who suffer with depression! There are no / very few groups or charities that help with depression or suicide. Also, they have little to no support for the elderly – hence the high rate in that age group. Ireland is so far ahead in their acceptance of the illness and in trying to help those in need.
Suicide pacts are evil things and this may help the rate to fall but they really need to focus on the causes!!!!!
Correct, but in Korea you can be operated on within the first visit of GP, in Ireland you wait 4 years. Old age is a big problem here tho..I do agree
@Stephen Kennedy: Some aspects of life in South Korea are very good – I agree ! but it is such a superficial society! anything that may be seen as a weakness is bad! so sad
Night out in Itaewon sorts that out
@Stephen Kennedy: hahhah – that’s where I live :)
I’m dying to see how that’ll work out.
So why a picture of a shopping street in Seoul. You wouldn’t head an article on irish suicide with a tourist shot of Grafton Street…
Punishable by death…..
I had heard that South Korea’s setting out to boost their life expectancy rates to better than North America’s. Well, there goes South Park!
@Fiona Fitzgerald: all they have to do is wait. Longevity is in decline in the USA. 78 at the moment and dropping
Anyone caught organizing these will get the death penalty
punishment will be the death penalty
Theres a reason we work 9-5 because because 9-6 might kill a niga .
Dave chappelle
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