Dara O’Briain is being tipped as ITV’s next chat show king.

The comic has reportedly been given a 5pm talk show – placing him in direct competition with Richard & Judy or Paul O’Grady.

But if it proves a success, the show will move it to a primetime slot, according to The Sun – which described O’Briain as a ‘roly-poly comedian’.

An unnamed ITV insider told the paper: ‘We love Dara and have great plans for him. He’s very warm and can get a lot out of people, which is what you want when you’re interviewing stars.

‘He’s also extremely entertaining as he has a background in comedy. He’s exactly the kind of upbeat host we need.’

Parkinson is retiring from his Saturday-night show later this year