Elisabeth Murdoch in the frame

MEDIA mogul Rupert Murdoch fuelled speculation about which of his children will succeed him by indicating that his daughter Elisabeth will return to the News Corp empire.

In an interview with The New York Times, Murdoch made no secret of his aspirations for his heirs. He said: 'It is a very, very human motive to see your work carried forward by one of your own.'

Son James, 30, sparked a storm when he was parachuted in as the new boss of BSkyB last month. His elder brother Lachlan, 32, is deputy chief operating officer of News Corp.

Elisabeth, 35, used to work at BSkyB (35% owned by News Corp), but left to set up her own TV production company, Shine.

Murdoch said Elisabeth is 'a very, very hardworking and intelligent person' who wants to be successful in her own right before returning to the family bosom. He thinks it will be 'at least' a few years before she comes back.

'She will probably sell [Shine] for a bloody fortune,' he said. 'And then she will come knocking on the door and she will be very welcome.'