Sarah-Jane Mee has emerged as the joint favourite to replace Kay Burley after the veteran broadcaster retired from Sky News following 36 years with the channel.
Mee is rated at 2/1 to take over from Burley who made the surprise announcement yesterday at the end of her Breakfast programme, which was her last day on air.
Burley, 64, was one of the original hosts who helped launch Sky News in 1989, and she had presented the morning slot since 2019 until her dramatic departure.
Now, her 46-year-old colleague Mee – who hosts The UK Tonight show on Sky News on weeknights at 8pm – is said to be the joint-likeliest broadcaster to take over.
She is tied at 2/1 with the late Sir David Frost’s son Wilfred Frost, 39, who already presents for the channel and has also been tipped to host Breakfast going forward.
Until a permanent replacement is announced, Frost – who is also a contributor for CNBC in the US – is expected to regularly front the show from Monday to Thursday.
Birmingham-born presenter Mee previously hosted Breakfast and The Sarah-Jane Mee Show on Sky News, and has also worked for ITV and Sky Sports.
The University of Manchester graduate and her team at Sky won a Royal Television Society award for their coverage of the Brussels terror attack in 2016.
Sky News presenter Sarah-Jane Mee (pictured) is the joint 2/1 favourite to replace Kay Burley
Sarah-Jane Mee is married to Ben Richardson and they had a daughter born in June 2020
The Birmingham-born presenter previously hosted Breakfast and The Sarah-Jane Mee Show
She hosted the first completely remote broadcast in the UK during lockdown, and has presented on radio shows including on Heart, BBC 5Live, LBC and Virgin Radio.
Mee is married to Ben Richardson and they had a daughter named Rae Brenda born in June 2020. Mee is also stepmother to his son Teddy from a previous relationship.
The couple married at their Sussex country home in August 2022 with guests including Natalie Pinkham, Zoe Hardman, Kirsty Gallacher and Eamonn Holmes.
They were introduced by mutual friend Autumn Kelly, ex-wife of Peter Phillips.
A fortnight ago, Mee was moved to tears live on air while revealing how Southport killer Axel Rudakubana stood over a six-year-old girl he had just stabbed.
She told viewers of the shocking scenes following the attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in The Hart Space in Southport, Merseyside, last July.
Mee was relaying details from the sentencing hearing from her colleagues inside Liverpool Crown Court when she paused and said she wanted to ‘take a breath’.
And the details of Bebe King’s death were almost too much for Mee to bear as she emotionally told viewers: ‘It’s just so distressing, isn’t it?’
Mee and Frost’s colleagues Beth Rigby and Sophy Ridge are third and fourth favourite to replace Burley at 7/2 and 5/1 respectively, according to odds provided to MailOnline this afternoon by Ladbrokes.
Sky News political editor Rigby hailed Burley as a ‘trailblazer and inspiration to a whole generation of women’ while Sky News presenter Ridge also said she had ‘learned so much’ from Burley, adding: ‘Thanks for smashing the ceilings.’
Presenter Kay Burley announces yesterday that she is retiring from Sky News after 36 years
Kay Burley is applauded by colleagues yesterday as she says she is retiring from Sky News
Other broadcasters said to be in the running include Anna Botting at 6/1, Robert Peston at 9/1 and then Andrew Marr, Nick Robinson and Kate McCann, all at 10/1.
Further names on the list are Niall Paterson at 12/1, Geraldine Scott and Mark Austin at 14/1; and Dan Walker at 16/1.
Ladbrokes spokesman Alex Apati told MailOnline today: ‘Sarah-Jane Mee might have looked like the obvious choice for some, but our traders think Wilfred Frost is in a great position for the permanent gig.’
It comes as Burley has thanked well-wishers for their ‘support and kind words’ after she announced her retirement from Sky News.
She shared photos and videos from her leaving party to Instagram yesterday which featured a cake with an image on it of her alongside Sky bosses when the news channel was launched in 1989.
Alongside a post, Burley wrote: ‘What a day. Surrounded by some of my most treasured people and fuelled by exquisite canapes by Oscars chef @elliottgrover.
David Frost’s son Wilfred Frost, who already presents for Sky News, has also been tipped
Wilfred Frost (left) with his father Sir David Frost and mother Lady Carina Frost and brothers George (second right) and Miles (far right) at Sir David’s summer party in London in 2006
‘It’s been a thing. Off to my beloved Africa next week and then on to the next chapter. Thanks for all your support and kind words everyone.’
In a video clip, the presenter could be seen trying to cut her face out of her leaving cake.
However, she realised she was going to cut the head of media mogul Rupert Murdoch in the process, but managed to cut around him.
Following her retirement announcement, a host of fellow journalists paid tribute to her career and thanked her for ‘smashing the ceilings’.
Closing her show yesterday, Burley said: ‘After over a million minutes of live TV news, more than anyone else in the world, it’s time for me to indulge in some of my other passions, including my love for travel.
‘So, after covering 12 separate general elections, including Sir Keir Starmer’s victory last year, I am retiring from Sky News, let politicians of every party just rejoice at that news.
‘Thank you for waking up and tuning in every morning. I can’t tell you how much I have appreciated your support over the last three-and-a-half decades – you’re awesome.
Sky News political editor Beth Rigby is third favourite at 7/2 to replace colleague Kay Burley
Rigby (above) hailed Burley as a ‘trailblazer and inspiration to a whole generation of women’
‘I will post more on my social media and hope to see you around. Please keep in touch.’
Her last day also coincided with Sky News’s 36th birthday and she used her final moments to pay tribute to how it had progressed from a ‘standing start to one of the most recognised and valued brands in global news’.
She added: ‘It’s been an honour and privilege to work with some of the best and hardest working teams in the business.
‘News by its very nature is often devastating and together we’ve covered so many life-changing events: from the tragic death of Diana; the shocking terror attack of 9/11; the Asian tsunami; the Concorde air disaster.
‘But we’ve also enjoyed some wonderful high notes too, haven’t we? The thrill of London winning the chance to host the 2012 Olympics, a plethora of royal weddings, jubilees, and who can forget days and days and days of waiting for royal babies to arrive at the Lindo Wing.’
Raised in Wigan, Lancashire, Burley took her first steps into journalism reporting for the Wigan Evening Post and Chronicle aged 17.
Sky News presenter Sophy Ridge is seen as the fourth favourite to replace Burley at 5/1
Sophy Ridge with Sky colleague Kay Burley at the launch of Ridge’s book in London in 2017
She later secured a job with the BBC on its local radio stations and then Tyne Tees Television, before joining the now defunct TV-am in 1985 as a reporter and occasional newsreader.
Burley was recruited for the fledgling Sky News in 1989 as one of its founding presenters.
In September 2018, the broadcaster was given her own show on Sky News as part of a major shake-up at the channel and a year later she moved to the Breakfast time slot.
During the coronavirus pandemic, she regularly grilled politicians about lockdown rules and questioned then Cabinet minister Michael Gove on the controversy over former No 10 adviser Dominic Cummings’ trip to Barnard Castle in May 2020.
But in December 2020, Burley was suspended from her role for six months after an internal review found she broke Covid-19 rules during celebrations for her 60th birthday.
Burley later apologised for her actions, describing herself as an ‘idiot’ and agreeing that she was ‘appropriately sanctioned’ by the channel.
Anna Botting (left) is fifth favourite at 6/1 and Robert Peston (right) is sixth at 9/1
Andrew Marr (left) and Nick Robinson (right) are both rated at 10/1 to replace Burley on Sky
Meanwhile, in October 2023, Sky News conceded that on-air remarks by Burley about the Palestinian ambassador to the UK, Dr Husam Zomlot, ‘gave a potentially misleading representation’ of his views after 1,537 complaints were made to the media watchdog Ofcom about the segment.
In a note shared with staff yesterday, Sky News executive chairman David Rhodes thanked Burley for her ‘huge contribution to Sky, to the art of the interview and to British journalism’, and wished her ‘the best of luck’.
He added: ‘With millions of minutes presenting live rolling news, Kay’s legacy in television journalism is unmatched, as is her commitment to Sky’s legacy.
‘I’m sure some MPs in Westminster will sleep easy knowing they won’t face her indomitable questioning in the mornings.
‘Kay confirmed that today was her final broadcast with Sky News. Of course, Breakfast continues – with the other current presenters and with our Friday-Sunday team.’
