Five Late Late Show talking points, from Fergal Keane to The Young Offenders
Patrick Kielty with Fergal Keane
BBC broadcaster Fergal Keane joined the show to reflect on his four-decade-long career and his decision to retire.
“I still enjoyed the work. I'm intensely curious. I love meeting people. I love the idea that someone pays me to go to places like Greenland one week, Jerusalem the next week, that I get paid to do that for a living. But I just had to face the fact I was getting tired,” he said.
Keane spoke about the personal toll he felt after covering war zones like Iraq and Rwanda to closer to home in the north, in particular the impact it had on his mental health.
“I ended up in a psychiatric hospital, and they asked me to sit down and write out a list of the places I've been. This was just a few years ago, about three years ago,” he explained.
“I looked at the list, and I thought to myself, what were you thinking? And the truth was, I wasn't thinking. I was driven by feelings. I was driven by this constant impulse to be where the night was darkest.
“Without overdoing the psychology, it came out of a fractured childhood, the desire to be seen, to have other people tell me what a brave person I was. From being frightened as a kid, I needed to be seen as brave as an adult.
“I was frankly addicted to being in danger zones. People say to me now, ‘what's your greatest achievement as a journalist?’ And I say, ‘I’m alive. I survived it’.”
He also became addicted to alcohol while working in war-torn areas.
“For quite a period as a war reporter, I was a full-on alcoholic. I'm sober now, my God, since 1999.”
Keane said he considers his life a lucky one, and he appreciates every moment.
“For all the tough things that happened in childhood and the things that I've seen and the mistakes that I've made in my own life, I've been incredibly lucky. I'm blessed.”
Earlier on the show, actress Patsy Kensit spoke about her links to Ireland.
“I lived in Killarney for a few years,” she said, describing the Kerry town as “gorgeous”.
Kensit’s family came from Leitrim and she said she loves visiting Ireland.
“Coming here always feels like an ego boost. Whenever I feel down, I get out of London and come here.”
She spoke about losing her mother when her own son was almost one. Kensit was four when her mother was diagnosed with cancer.
“She lived with the illness for over 25 years. She died when James, my eldest son, was just turning one. The disease just got her.
“Having to say goodbye to this angel person, I’ve never gotten over it. But she's around. I’m just sad that my sons didn't have her as a grandmother, because she was the best mum.”
Comedian Bernard O’Shea shared some insight into his life as a ‘house husband’ in Limerick, including his attempts at a healthier lifestyle, as documented in his Dad Bod Diaries for the
“I've done everything I possibly can in the last two years, and my problem is that I actually hate exercise,” he said.
“I have a fear of lifting things… but I love biscuits.”
O’Shea also described the struggles he feels in the face of ageing — including fashion.
“The clothes! You would not believe the hassle I had trying to pick out stuff to wear tonight. Nothing fits, I mean, nothing fits me.”
He described life as a hands-on dad, joking that he’s “just been putting chicken dippers in air fryers” for five years.
O’Shea took a break from comedy and is returning to the stage early next year with a new stand-up show called
Actors Alex Murphy and Chris Walley joined Patrick Kielty to reflect on a decade of , with the fifth season of the hit show out now.
The pair, who play Conor and Jock in the show, reflected on the cult hit, from its original concept as a low-budget movie to making a global hit TV series.
They shared a few anecdotes from the set, including the realities of getting into mischief 10 years on.
“It's not like we're ancient, but there is a big difference between 17 and 28,” Murphy said.
Walley chimed in: “You can't move as well [as before] either. We a lot of running in the show.” Murphy quips: “I’m not built for running. We feel like we're still as sprightly as ever, but then we watch the scene and we're a little bit more sluggish.”
Walley said neither of them expected the original movie to be a hit.
“I remember meeting in the audition room and being like, this will end up on YouTube, like, don't get your hopes up. We had so much fun doing it,” he said.
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Country singer Cliona Hagan helped to reveal that the lucky winner of next week’s will join country music icon Shania Twain in Thomond Park in Limerick in July, as well as a spot on the annual later this year.
In a video message aired during the show, Twain said: “I’ll be back performing my headline show in Ireland this summer. I’m so excited to announce that the winner of will be my opening act for my only Irish date in Limerick on July 7.”
A special message from the one and only SHANIA TWAIN 🤩🤩
— The Late Late Show (@RTELateLateShow) April 10, 2026
The winner of next week's #LateLate Opening Act will land the opportunity of a LIFETIME this summer when they join the country music ICON in Thomond Park Stadium, Limerick in July 🤠👏🎶 pic.twitter.com/6QRj6zb7e9
Five acts, which will be announced from Monday, will compete to win by performing their favourite country song in front of a studio audience and a star-studded panel, including Una Healy. The overall winner will be decided by media and industry juries as well as a public vote.
“There's no better place to perform than It's going to be such great exposure for them,” Hagan said.
“What a brilliant start to their careers. I can't wait to see everyone singing, it's going to be great.”
