Charlie Pickering's surprise replacement on The Project has been revealed.

The gaping hole left in all our hearts when Charlie Pickering left The Project desk is FINALLY going to be filled.

Though when Pickering left the show in April, media speculation on possible replacements was rife, one classic Australian funny-man was completely overlooked.

But that’s set to be fixed today.

Comedian Rove McManus, whose show Rove was a staple in Australian homes between 2007 and 2009, is set to sign a contract to become a full-time member of the current affairs program today.

And in hindsight? The decision is kind of a no-brainer.

Confidential reports that 40-year-old Rove is keen to relocate back to Australia from the US, and reunite with friends Peter Helliar and Carrie Bickmore- both of whom rose to fame on his show Rove. He’s also keener to become more involved in the finer details of the show, which is produced by his production company, Roving Enterprises. 

The Project is currently attracting an audience of 650,000 Australians per night. No doubt, executives at Channel Ten are hoping Rove will boost these numbers further, and help the struggling network with ratings.

Since Pickering’s departure, guest panellists such as Waleed Aly, Andrew Rochford and Ray Martin have stepped in to help provide the perfect mix of light and shade to the panel. 

But it seems all this time Ten executives have really just been waiting for the perfect fit for a full-time panel member. A fit they now believe could be Rove.

The Daily Telegraph’s Taylor Auerbach says the network will review Rove’s contract at the end of the year based on how successfully he is able to boost ratings.

After years spent away from home trying to kickstart a talk show in the US, we’re going to go ahead and bet Aussies are going to welcome Rove back with open arms.

Either way- it’ll be an awesome blast to the past seeing the original cast of Rove reunited on our screens again.

He is expected to take up the role midway through next month.

What do you think of the new host of The Project? Have you missed Rove on our screens?