Eddie McGuire says he wants to bring the “fun” back to The Footy Show after it was announced he was returning as host.

McGuire, one of the show’s pioneers, is replacing Craig Hutchison and will join Bec Maddern as co-host of Channel 9’s flagship football program.

Sam Newman will also remain on the panel, despite recent rumblings suggesting otherwise.

Speaking with Tom Elliott, McGuire said he couldn’t wait to get back into it.

He also promised to let Newman “off the leash.”

“I think there’s too many people holding things back in football these days,” McGuire, who last hosted the show in 2005, said on 3AW.

“Let’s enjoy the game for what it is.”

McGuire also praised Hutchison for his efforts, revealing a text he’d sent the man he replaced.

“I thanked him and congratulated him on what’s been a pretty hard job for him,” McGuire said.

“He was handed a show that was getting clobbered and came in very tough circumstances.

Click PLAY below to hear the full interview

“Eddie, in a sense, is coming to breath life into a corpse,” showbiz guru Peter Ford, who broke the news, told Tom Elliott.

“This might be the last throw of the dice, but I think it’s a pretty good throw.”

McGuire, one of the show’s pioneers, last hosted the show in 2005.

He’ll speak with Tom Elliott after 5.30pm.