Richard Osman is said to be an early favourite to replace Anne Robinson on Countdown after she confirmed she was stepping down as host.
On Monday, 77-year-old Anne announced that she was quitting her position on the Channel 4 quiz show as she wants to spend more time with her grandchildren.
Anne, who recorded 265 episodes of the show, said of her decision to quit: "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.
"I hope too I've encouraged TV bosses to realise that not all women at the wrong end of their seventies are in care homes playing bingo and watching conjuring tricks," she continued.
"In fact the genius of Countdown is that it's a brilliant way to keep the brain exercised. I run 5k most days of the week.
"And I can now do an anagram at twice the speed I could this time last year.
"But I have grandchildren, a large garden and a home in New York, all deserving more of my attention," she added.
She will appear in shows until the summer with a new host announced in due course, Channel 4 confirmed.
And speaking of new hosts, it seems that 51-year-old Richard is the early favourite to take Anne's place after he announced that he was quitting Pointless after 13 years.
He said in a statement last month: "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."
Ladbrokes said that Richard currently has 3/1 odds of replacing Anne on Countdown.
After Richard, the next strongest odds for replacements 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.
