Oliver Callan reveals why he’s NOT ready to take over The Late Late Show & ‘learned my lesson’ RTE radio pay admission

While Oliver’s current two-year contract with RTE is up for renewal in the New Year, he revealed he won’t be disclosing how much he is being paid in his new deal
OLIVER Callan has claimed he lacks the flying hours to take over The Late Late Show — but does not rule it out in the future.

Speculation has been rife that the Callan Kicks star could step into the shoes of Patrick Kielty, who is in the final year of a three-year contract as host.

However, the funnyman believes Kielty will pen another deal with RTE bosses.

Oliver told The Irish Sun: “I don’t think it’s going to be his (Kielty’s) last year.  

“I think it’s just the way contracts are done nowadays, three years at a time. I think myself and everyone in RTE thinks Patrick Kielty will carry on and keep going.”

While industry insiders claim the Monaghan man would make the ‘perfect Late Late host’, being the closest thing RTE has ever had to Gay Byrne, equally adapt at politics and entertainment, Oliver did not rule the Late Late gig out in the future — only not right now.

He told us: “I have only been ­presenting for less than two years.

“I don’t see myself having the experience for that.

“But also imagine if someone else was being asked ‘would you like to do that radio show from 11am to 1pm (on RTE Radio One) that man is doing?’ It feels really rude to even answer the question, to rule yourself in or rule yourself out.

“I don’t want to go there.”

He also stressed how impossible it is to make plans, having originally been a stand-in for Ryan Tubridy on his morning show, then taking over the job full-time ­following Tubs’ sudden departure from RTE at the time of the secret payments scandal.

Oliver said: “If I learned anything in the last two years is that you cannot make plans. We had a scandal in 2023.

“I was a stand-in, who was only half interested, then I grew interested in the job and then the job turned out to be different again. The schedule has changed so you can’t make plans in this business.

“But even me sitting here, with an ego going ‘Yes I should be the new Late Late person’, it’s totally meaningless because that is my life lesson for recent times — no one can make plans.

“Simon Harris was popular once and now he’s as popular as a member of the Healy-Rae family coming out as vegan.”

‘HAPPIEST IN HIS LIFE’

Commenting on the other big question on whether Ryan Tubridy could return to RTE, Oliver replied: “He (Tubs) seems to be pretty happy in his life.

“Would he want to come back to RTE? It’s a pretty nice place to work and he has spent a long time there. The executives have more of a say in this than I have and they have said they haven’t slammed the door closed.

However, he added the last few years hadn’t been bad for Tubs as the same period had seen his romance blossom with former Rose of Tralee Dr Clare Kambamettu, whom he wed earlier this month.

Oliver said: “The one thing that came out of that summer for Ryan was that he met this lovely woman, and he’s married to her now.  

“So when the world looks and goes ‘what terrible, awful years for him’, it’s probably turned out to be the happiest in his life so who would begrudge him that? Only a ­miserable git.”

RTE CHANGES

The comedian will be reflecting on the many changes in RTE and elsewhere in Ireland during two episodes of Callan Kicks The Year 2025.

But while another departed RTE star, Ray D’Arcy, will be name-checked on the review, Oliver won’t twist the knife on the Kildare man who was axed by the station after 11 years last October.

Oliver explained: “We don’t kick people when they are down, ­satirists are supposed to punch up. Ray was always a decent person when I met him.

“He wouldn’t keep too many ­personal friends around RTE so he isn’t someone I could chat to ­afterwards. Ray will be ­mentioned, as will Joe Duffy for his big farewell.”

While Oliver’s current two-year contract with RTE is up for renewal in the New Year, he revealed he won’t be disclosing how much he is being paid in his new deal.

He went public in January 2024 to say he was on €150,000 a year to present his old 9am to 10am show on RTE Radio 1.

Oliver said: “I am not going to go into any more information on the contracts. I learned my lesson.”

Meanwhile, Oliver is giving plenty of value for money for RTE, with his Callans Kicks radio skits, his new radio slot from 11am to 1pm (which began last month), and a double helping of his ­Callan Kicks The Year 2025, where he will send-up the likes of TV star Francis Brennan and rap trio Kneecap.

Oliver told us: “As ever we do feature real people.

“We have Paudie ­Moloney from Traitors Ireland in a sketch where I’m dressed up as Siobhan McSweeney, and the ­faithful are trying to detect landlords amongst their group rather than traitors. It’s great fun.”

• Callan Kicks The Year 2025 is on Tuesday, December 30 at 9.30pm. Episode two will air on New Year’s Eve at 9.20pm on RTE One and RTE Player.