Patrick Kielty is 'really chuffed' with guest line-up for first Late Late Show
The Late Late Show host Patrick Kielty unveils new set ahead of its new season. Pictures: Andres Poveda
Tonight might mark the largest audience RTÉ has had this year outside of an Oireachtas committee livestream as Patrick Kielty takes the helm at .
The veteran presenter and comedian isn’t letting recent controversies take away from the special occasion though as he is ready and raring to go with that trademark cheeky glint in his eye.
The figurehead of host has been a hot topic in recent months – to put it mildly – but Kielty is not planning to be the main focus. Rather, he is hoping to bring the show back to the people.
Recalling original presenter, Gay Byrne, the Co Down native says that one of the things he enjoyed most about Gay’s tenure was that he spoke with the audience members almost as much as the invited guests.
“It was like coming into the parlour and I think that, for me, is what this show is. It will be different things, it will be eclectic bits and pieces,” he says in the lead-up to tonight’s show.
“The main lesson that I have learned from the show over the years is that you treat everybody the same. Everybody the same and that is what this show does best and that is why it has stood the test of time.”
The ongoing controversy surrounding the show’s previous host, Ryan Tubridy, has not fazed Kielty who says it has not affected how he’s approached things.
As far as he is concerned, he has a show to make and everything else is just background noise.
He did reveal that Tubridy, who hosted the show for 14 years before stepping down last May, got in touch with him to wish him luck ahead of his debut.
“I got a little message from Ryan wishing me good luck which I thought was very nice,” he said, declining to go into further detail.
Kielty was cool as you like in the lead-up to the hotly anticipated takeover, his years of stand-up and other presenting gigs have prepared him for almost anything.
He welcomes the unexpected saying that making it “too polished” robs it of its joy.
“I think it’s about having fun. If things are fun and things go wrong that’s, hopefully, the tone of the show. There will be ebbs and flows and, I hope, something for everybody.”
While the nerves were nowhere to be seen there was a spark of excitement as he said that he promised himself he would enjoy every moment. If you are not enjoying it then what is the point in doing the job? he asks.
“Ultimately, I’m going to try to take it all in and suck every last brilliant moment out of it.”
Unfortunately, the 52-year-old will have to deal with any last-minute jitters without the help of his TV presenter wife, Cat Deeley, who will be tuning in on the RTÉ Player from their home in London.
The couple decided that taking their two boys, aged five and seven, out of school to make the trip over to Dublin for the show would be too disruptive for them this early in the term.
It will be a different story when it comes to the Toy Show, he predicts.
He is not thinking too much about the all-important Christmas show at present, it will be the next big hurdle once he gets the first show under his belt.
“There’s the first show and then there’s the Toy Show. And whenever I got this gig the Toy Show was the one where you’re just like, ‘Oh, my God, that’s the one’” he says.
Although Kielty will be splitting his time between Dublin and his homes in London and Derry during filming, he says it will probably be the most stable routine the family has ever had.
“There have always been moving parts. Neither of us [he and Deeley] have had a 9-5 job and so there have always been times where Cat has gone and done something and then I’ve gone and done something,” he explains.
“Weirdly, this show is probably the most routine that we are going to have as a family. What’s nice is I still get to do some school runs at the start of the week.”
Deeley won’t be the only family member tuning in from home as Kielty’s mother isn’t letting the fact that her son is hosting interfere with her routine.
“My mother has a very, very religious way of watching and that is from the sofa in Main Street, Dundrum and it doesn’t matter if her son is hosting it or not, that’s where she’ll be.”
The guest list for Friday night’s show is being kept under lock and key until it airs but Kielty says he is “really chuffed” with who they have in store.
“I’m not answering it and I kinda wanna answer it,” he laughed after being pressed on who he’ll have on the couch for his inaugural show.
“There are lots of nice treats that I am really happy with and I hope everybody else is.”
The ongoing writers’ strike in Hollywood is unlikely to drastically impact the guest list for this season – although with no signs of a resolution at present, this could change if it rumbles on.
Kielty says that the has never been a show that relies entirely on entertainment as it encompasses sport, current affairs and lifestyle. This is what makes it so unique in the world of late-night talk shows, he says.
Time will tell how Kielty’s reign as host will be received but one thing is for certain, all eyes will be on RTÉ One this evening.
