JOE Duffy’s Liveline replacement has finally been confirmed for the star’s first week off air.
The legendary broadcaster is gearing up for his final farewell to his listeners on his hugely popular RTE Radio 1 show.
Joe will be hosting his last ever show at 1.45pm until 3pm this afternoon after 27 years in the hot seat.
Speculation has been rife over who will be replacing Joe ever since his departure announcement.
The 69-year-old appeared on Morning Ireland today and confirmed that there will be no Liveline break and it’ll be back on air on Monday.
And it’s been revealed in the RTE Radio 1 schedule that Countrywide host Philip Boucher-Hayes will be hosting the programme all next week.
The renowned reporter has previously filled in on Liveline in Joe’s absence.
The Kildare native joined the national station in 1993 when he began reporting on RTE Radio 1’s Five Seven Live and RTE 2FM’s The Gerry Ryan Show before producing The Gay Byrne Show.
In 1997, he moved to Today FM before rejoining the RTE Radio 1 team just one year later.
Philip replaced Damien O’Reilly as the new host of RTE Radio One’s Countrywide in November 2022.
And he’s also worked across several documentaries and series on RTE TV including Hot Air: Ireland’s Climate Crisis,The Du Plantier Affair, What’s Ireland Eating and Future Shock: The Last Drop, alongside the lifestyle and consumer series What Are You Eating? and Buyer Beware.
RTE have yet to disclose Joe’s permanent successor but have told listeners to expect an announcement in the autumn after they run a process to decide over the coming months.
However, rumours that Katie Hannon will be taking on the gig went into overdrive following a bombshell announcement.
RTE chiefs confirmed that its flagship Monday night current affairs series, Upfront with Katie Hannon, won’t be back in September after three seasons on air.
Hannon — currently the 1/5 odds-on fave with Ladbrokes to take over at Liveline — will remain one of the key anchors of RTE’s Behind the Story podcast.
‘VERY PROUD’
She will also host a new TV series ahead of the Presidential election, which must take place by November.
In a statement, Hannon, 53, said: “I’m very proud of what we achieved on Upfront.
“We managed to buck the international trend and actually grew our audience on linear television and our digital footprint.
“It was a privilege to work with our small team of talented and hardworking colleagues led by our editor Janet Traynor.
“I also want to thank all of those who came into our studio and trusted us with their stories and contributed to the national conversation on the issues that matter to all of us.
“I’m disappointed that we won’t be able to keep that conversation going.”
