Chiswick comedian Dara O'Briain has been tipped to takeover from veteran chat show host Michael Parkinson. Originally from Dublin, O'Briain is said to have been lined up by ITV to host the talk show when Parkinson retires later this year.

The comic, who recently upgraded his Glebe Estate home to a £2.5million Strand on the Green property close to fellow ITV favourites Ant & Dec, currently hosts BBC2's Mock The Week.

An ITV insider told The Sun "We love Dara and have great plans for him. He’s very warm and can get a lot out of people, which is what you want when you’re interviewing stars.

“He’s also extremely entertaining as he has a background in comedy. He’ll be more like Jonathan Ross than Parky, but he’s exactly the kind of upbeat host we need."

 

September 5, 2007