RTE star Ray D’Arcy has revealed he was never considered to be the next host of The Late Late Show - as he teased that The Den could return to a global audience.
The radio and TV host opened up about how he was never asked to be the next host of the Friday night chat show after Ryan Tubridy stepped down last month. And the star revealed he didn’t want the job.
The RTE star said: "I didn’t consider The Late Late Show and I wasn’t asked." D’Arcy said he understands why Tubridy decided to put his family first.
"The great Gay Byrne, who I idolised, once gave an interview to our radio show where he said he regretted the time he gave to the whole thing.
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"I didn’t need to hear that. I knew. When I was doing six days a week, Tom started crying one day when I was going to work.
"That was the moment for me. I realised then it was not right. It was not sustainable for me, six days a week.
"Now Tom and I have brilliant Saturdays together. Tom loves music and plays bass guitar so I’m living my life vicariously through him.
"I never played guitar, but I was the lead singer, or lead shouter, in a band way back when," he told the RTE Guide.
But Ray teased the possibility that The Den could make a return – but on a different platform. He became a household name for children across Ireland when he began hosting The Den in 1990 and was thrilled to see the series revived in 2020 so that Tom could watch it.
The TV and radio star admits he doesn't know why RTE axed it but teased it could be back on our screens soon – but not on RTE.
"[Tom] loved it and that was special for me," he said. "And now Tom, like a lot of other people, asks me 'Why didn't The Den come back for good?' and I don't have the answer.
"However, the good news is that we had a reunion recently for a global streaming service and while I can't say too much about that now, I will say, 'Watch this space'," he added.
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