TV
Tory MP Michael Portillo has emerged as the favourite to replace Robert Kilroy-Silk on his BBC talkshow.
Others on the shortlist include BBC politics host Andrew Neil, Watchdog presenter Nicky Campbell and ITN's former political editor John Sergeant.
Kilroy stepped down as host of the show on Friday after writing a controversial 'anti-Arab' piece in a Sunday newspaper.
A number of guest hosts will take the helm when the programme returns to air in the next few weeks, but the hunt is already on for a permanent replacement.
"There have been a series of meetings this week to discuss the future of the daily talk show," a source told the Sunday Mirror today.
"Michael Portillo is the favourite at the moment. It's felt he has both the gravitas and warmth to draw viewers in. We've been impressed with his past TV exploits. Like Kilroy, he has a background in politics which comes in handy with the debate-style format of the show."
Portillo proved a big ratings success last year in the one-off documentary When Michael Portillo Became a Single Mum, watched by 5 million on BBC Two.
Others on the shortlist include BBC politics host Andrew Neil, Watchdog presenter Nicky Campbell and ITN's former political editor John Sergeant.
Kilroy stepped down as host of the show on Friday after writing a controversial 'anti-Arab' piece in a Sunday newspaper.
A number of guest hosts will take the helm when the programme returns to air in the next few weeks, but the hunt is already on for a permanent replacement.
"There have been a series of meetings this week to discuss the future of the daily talk show," a source told the Sunday Mirror today.
"Michael Portillo is the favourite at the moment. It's felt he has both the gravitas and warmth to draw viewers in. We've been impressed with his past TV exploits. Like Kilroy, he has a background in politics which comes in handy with the debate-style format of the show."
Portillo proved a big ratings success last year in the one-off documentary When Michael Portillo Became a Single Mum, watched by 5 million on BBC Two.
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