Hi °C | Lo °C FORMER Open House star Marty Whelan says he is enjoying his Saturday nights too much to make a return to afternoon TV.
The Winning Streak host says that he has no plans to make the move back to afternoon shows -- because he prefers the excitement of his weekend game-show gig.
"I have no plans to go back at the moment," Marty told the Herald. "I am really enjoying Winning Streak and I love that excitement.
"You can't beat the buzz on the weekend. I am really happy where I am.
"It is a very high energy show and I have gotten used to that.
"We look forward to Saturdays for a different reason to everybody else," added the 56-year-old.
The show, now in its 25th year, returned to RTE screens for a new series last Saturday which saw Marty and co-presenter Geri Maye at the helm.
While he is happy in his current role, Marty says he will go where the work is and will not definitively rule out a return to the afternoon schedule.
interest
RTE launched new afternoon programme Today in November. It's presented by Daithi O Se, Maura Derrane, Norah Casey and Blathnaid Ni Chofaigh.
Given his previous gig at Open House alongside Mary Kennedy, Marty retains more than a passing interest in afternoon TV.
"Of course I am still interested -- Open House was a great time and I think the guys on Today show are doing a great job.
"You can't afford to be choosy these days and I do whatever work there is, but I am really happy where I am right now," added the Dubliner.
Marty started his career as a radio presenter in the late 1970s with RTE before moving into TV presenting, where he became a regular feature on hit afternoon show Open House.
When the popular show was axed in 2004, Marty described himself as being "very disappointed" and "shocked", but went on to carve a name for himself as a game-show host.
Marty had hosted lottery game Fame And Fortune on Saturday nights for at least 10 years before fronting Europe's longest-running game show Winning Streak in 2009.
hnews@herald.ie
