BRENDAN O’CONNOR, THE host of The Saturday Night Show on RTE One, has announced this series of the talk show is to be the last.

In an unexpected announcement live on air tonight, the presenter and Sunday Independent journalist said that the popular light entertainment show will finish for good when it ends its current series on 30 May.

However in a widely predicted move, Ray D’Arcy is to present a new show on RTÉ One on Saturday evenings from the autumn.

D’Arcy recently left Today FM to present an afternoon show on RTÉ Radio One, and had been tipped for a television role.

RTE said that O’Connor will present a new prime time programme in 2016.

On the programme tonight, O’Connor told viewers that the show was going out on a high.

“We’re not gone yet, there’s ten more shows,” he said.

“We on the team feel quite liberated now and it could be an interesting few months. Think of it, what are they going to do? Take us off the air?”

The Saturday Night Show has been running for five years, and had recently overtaken Friday night rival The Late Late Show in ratings for the first time.

“Brendan has proven himself to be a great talent and we are delighted that he will remain central to RTÉ One’s prime time schedule with a new show,” said Glen Killane, the managing director of RTÉ Television.

Brendan O’Connor said he was excited about “inventing a newer, even better show”.

Read: Brendan O’Connor tells heckler ‘sit down you clown’ > 

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