Carrie Bickmore and Tommy Little ‘in box seat’ to replace Hamish and Andy on radio in 2018

THE man in charge of finding a replacement for Hamish and Andy on radio in 2018 has given his strongest indication yet as to who it will be.

WHO will replace Hamish and Andy on radio when they walk away at the end of the year?

It’s one of the most discussed topics in radio circles but today Southern Cross Austereo’s chief creative officer revealed who is at the top of his list.

Guy Dobson told Fairfax that Carrie Bickmore and Tommy Little, who currently host a national 3-4pm show on the Hit Network, are the frontrunners.

“Carrie and Tommy have done extremely well for us and audiences love them,” Dobson said. “They’re in the box seat, but we are talking to lots of people.”

Most FM drive shows run from 4-6pm meaning that if Bickmore does get given the radio promotion, she’ll probably have to give up her hosting role on The Project, which starts at 6.30pm each night.

“She would have to make that hard decision of what she wants to focus on,” the editor of Media Week, James Manning, told news.com.au last month.

“There could be room for a continued casual relationship with The Project. Hosting maybe a Friday every week or just doing occasional weeks.

“Or, a wildcard is that Ten could also have another project in mind for her that might be a weekly program for her. It could keep the TV association, which makes the radio decision easier for her.”

Hamish and Andy are sadly walking away from radio at the end of the year.

Replacing Hamish and Andy would be a “risky career move” for Bickmore though, and Manning told news.com.au that she should consider turning it down if the offer comes through.

“[With] her good friend Rove [McManus], she saw what happened there when he went into radio,” manning said.

“And she’d be more than well aware with the risks associated with taking on a new role in a different medium.”

Another duo who are rumoured to be on Southern Cross Austereo’s list to replace Hamish and Andy next year is Fitzy and Wippa.

The pair currently host the Nova breakfast show in Sydney, but according to Nova Entertainment’s Group Programme Director, that’s exactly what they’ll be doing next year too.

“I don’t think it’s my place to confirm anything but I would be very confident in saying, ‘Expect them to be here next year’,” Paul Jackson told Mumbrella.

“Why would they want to work anywhere else?” he added.

Fitzy & Wippa with Ed Sheeran.