He's only back in RTÉ since last month but George Lee has already landed his own TV show and will return with a programme on financial and consumer affairs on RTÉ One this autumn.

While his former political party, Fine Gael, descended into open civil war last week, Lee was quietly working away in Montrose preparing the show which will be "more mainstream than Eddie Hobbs' Rip-Off Republic", with a focus on areas such as pensions and credit issues.

The former economics editor's return to a presenting role is certain to be monitored with great interest by the political parties who will want to make sure that he does not offer any political opinions following his controversial resignation as a Fine Gael TD last February.

An RTÉ source said: "This new programme suits George's expertise. Everyone knows it is only logical that he can't do something on politics, it just can't happen. He is still quite a popular man and though it may take the viewing public time to get used to him again, we are confident it will be a success."

Lee has previously worked on documentaries about the economy, and RTÉ management believe this will help him in his new role.

"He's no stranger to this kind of thing, and consumer affairs will suit him perfectly. He will be able to focus on things which are topical at the time and give them a certain relevance and put his knowledge into it."

Before he returns to the screen, Lee will be filling in for John Murray on the Saturday morning business show on RTé Radio 1 for July and August, after which Lee is expected to begin filming the new TV show.

He had indicated after his shock exit from Fine Gael and the Dáil that he would be back on TV screens by autumn. Lee announced in May 2009 that he would run for Fine Gael in the Dublin South by-election, which he won easily.

However, his career in politics was short-lived and he stepped down four months ago after deciding to go back to his job with the state broadcaster. This presented RTÉ with a problem, as a return to his previous role was out of the question because of the need to analyse government economic policies.

Station bosses were keen to put Lee on a six-month "moratorium" and announ­ced he would be working on "a new cross-media initiative" using his "expertise in statistical analysis".

As one source explained: "George was always a very capable employee, and would brief you on a story if you asked him. However, when he came back, no one knew exactly what to do with him, but obviously he had to do something and this seems like the suitable vehicle for his talents."

A spokeswoman for RTÉ refused to comment on the show. "We don't want to pre-empt anything in our autumn line-up," she said. "We are not confirming anything and we are not denying anything."