Tubridy to fill in for Norton for eight weeks, BBC confirms
The BBC has confirmed Ryan Tubridy will be the latest Irish broadcaster to take to its airwaves.
The self-confessed “young fogey” and host of the world’s longest running live television chat show, The Late, Late, Show, Tubridy has landed a part-time summer job on Radio 2.
The Dubliner will fill in for Corkman Graham Norton for eight weeks on his Saturday morning show.
Tubridy said heading to the BBC in London would be an honour and an adventure.
“I am very much looking forward to my brief tenure with BBC Radio 2,” he said. “It’s a station that is steeped in pop cultural history and I consider it an honour to look after Graham Norton’s studio while he’s away on a well-earned break.”
Tubridy, who the BBC argues is the biggest chat show host and TV presenter in Ireland, will kick off his summer stint on July 23. He plans to continue his weekday radio morning programme on 2FM.
“I will continue as host of Tubridy on RTE 2FM, a show I love presenting. So while it will be a busy summer, it’ll be a bit of an adventure, so here goes,” he said.
Lewis Carnie, BBC Radio 2 and 6 Music head of programmes, said: “It’s always exciting to introduce new voices to the schedule, and I’m delighted that we’ve managed to persuade another of Ireland’s biggest stars to work his magic on Radio 2.”
Tubridy, from Blackrock, south Dublin, is following in the footsteps of his Late, Late predecessor Gay Byrne, who also worked in England, and also stars such as Terry Wogan and Norton, who took over the Radio 2 slot from Jonathan Ross.
Norton will return on Saturday September 17.
