Having a presenter on The Late Late Show from Northern Ireland will help bring about a conversation between north and south.
That's according to comedian and writer Tadhg Hickey, who was speaking as Patrick Kielty is to take over as host of the RTÉ show from next season.
Mr Kielty, who is originally from Co Down, is set to commute from his home in London for the weekly programme.
Mr Hickey told The Hard Shoulder this new chapter could help bring communities closer together.
"It's going to be such a breath of fresh air for a northerner to be leading our flagship show," he said.
"The divide - the kind of spiritual and mental and whatnot divide - between north and south is a real big issue".
'They don't understand each other'
Mr Hickey said he believes criticism around Mr Kielty not living in Ireland is unfounded.
"They're talking about him being in England, but I do think there is a thing in the southern media of this thing of, 'Is this northerner really going to get it?'" he said.
"I think that's part of why you're getting the kind of climate change accusations.
"I think what's behind that is, 'Is a northerner going to be able to hack The Late Late Show?', and I think therein lies the rub.
"That's kind of partly the problem: that the north and south don't understand each other at all.
"A guy like that, who knows his stuff, in the hot seat is going to bring about so much conversation between north and south that I think is just brilliant - with hopefully a border poll on the horizon," he added.
Willie O’Reilly, former RTÉ Commercial Director, said he believes the show format will have to change.
"I think they'll have to," he said.
"He won't be able to do The Toy Show in the same way.
"The public are going to expect something new; so the answer is yes.
"How they'll do that, I don't know.
"They've got to do stuff that really catches the public's imagination - and he's got to do that thing of being able to straddle two things: the serious and the funny," he added.
