CLAIRE BYRNE SAYS she’s looking forward to “loosening up” and showing more of her personality in her new presenting role on Newstalk.

The veteran presenter joins the station after 15 years with RTÉ. Her new self-titled show kicks off at 9am on Tuesday.

Speaking to Andrea Gilligan on Newstalk’s Lunchtime Live, Byrne said she can’t wait to complete her first week in the role.

“I think people are surprised about this – I’m actually quite nervous about this new start … just getting used to an unfamiliar studio and a new way of doing things,” she said.

Listeners sent in questions for Byrne.

Asked what she’ll do differently at Newstalk, Byrne joked: “I intend to go wild.”

Speaking more sincerely, Byrne said she’s looking forward to a longer show – three hours – and “loosening up a bit”.

“I don’t want to be derogatory about RTÉ because I had a great career in RTÉ and I enjoyed every minute of it,” she said.

“But I am looking forward to people maybe getting to know me a bit better – a bit more personality, a bit more opinion, and experimenting with new ideas.”

Earlier in her career, Byrne moved to the island of Jersey, where she worked for radio stations that serviced the Channel Islands. She later worked for Channel 5 and ITV in London.

However, coming home, she said, was her “big break”. She joined TV3 to become a news anchor on Ireland AM, which she said was “great fun”.

She then went to Newstalk to co-present a morning show.

Two decades later, she returns to the station, taking over Pat Kenny’s weekday slot.

Kenny will move to a weekend slot. He also left RTÉ to go to Newstalk back in the day.

Radio over television

One listener asked what she does when a guest says something unexpected live on air.

Byrne said: “Part of the fun, and why I love doing live programmes, as opposed to recorded programs, is that buzz of adrenaline that you get. You never know what’s going to happen next.”

“You’re not there to control the narrative.”

Speaking about her presenting roles, Byrne said she prefers the immediacy of radio over television presenting, and that there’s less “hanging around”.

Asked who was the most interesting person she’s interviewed, Byrne said it’s hard to remember everyone, but a “stand-out” moment was the now viral interview she did with Nigel Farage.

“It didn’t feel like it was a huge thing, but afterwards it just blew up online.”