Following Anne Robinson’s announcement that she’s leaving Countdown, speculation is rife over who could replace her – and it appears Richard Osman is a top contender.
This week, Anne, 77, revealed that she had made the decision to step down from the ‘hot seat’ on the Channel 4 programme after 265 episodes, admitting that she ‘stayed longer than I signed up for’.
‘I’ve had a blast hosting this wonderful show. And I stayed longer than I signed up for. Now it is time for an older woman to take the reins,’ she said in a statement.
There are several individuals who would be worthy replacements for the former Weakest Link host, including Moira Stuart, Sir Trevor McDonald, Colin Murray and Paul O’Grady.
However, another name has come out of the woodwork as a favourite, according to the bookies – Richard, who recently announced he was leaving his position on BBC quiz show Pointless.
The 51-year-old currently has 3/1 odds of replacing Anne, Ladbrokes said.
Last month, he spoke out about his decision to leave Pointless after 13 years, saying in a statement: ‘I will miss everyone so much, but I’m thrilled that I’ll still be presenting the celebrity shows. I can’t thank everyone enough for twelve amazing years.’
Could his departure from Pointless mean he has some free time to switch to Countdown instead?
While it was reported he would be spending more time focusing on writing his crime fiction books, we reckon he’d a great choice for the programme.
After Richard, the next strongest odds for replacements for Anne go to comedian Susan Calman and Taskmaster star Alex Horne, both of whom have 4/1 odds.
Writer Victoria Coren Mitchell is next with 9/2 odds, while 8 Out Of 10 Cats star Jon Richardson, who became known for unleashing his competitive spirit on the Countdown spin-off of the show, follows with 11/2 odds.
Moira has 7/1 odds, while Paul has 10/1 odds and The Great British Bake Off co-host Matt Lucas also has 10/11 odds.
‘Countdown chiefs will have their pick of a whole host of stars if the latest odds are anything to go by, but as things stand it’s Richard Osman who leads the way in the race to replace Anne Robinson,’ said Alex Apati of Ladbrokes.
‘However, given the success of 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown, we wouldn’t at all be surprised to see Jon Richardson get the gig.’
Countdown airs weekdays at 2.10pm on Channel 4.
Credit: Original article published here.You can read this post on My Celebrity Life.
