Tubridy faces tough task on tired format

THE Late Late Show is upon us again. On Friday, it will begin its 52nd season. Surely, the show is on its last legs. It is dispiriting. It lost its fire as a forum for national debate long ago, but what really irks are its inane celebrity interviews.

The audience accepts that star guests show up to hawk their latest movie, book or record. But the conversations are engineered beforehand and this is grating.

Watch the way a Ryan Tubridy or Piers Morgan ‘dances’ with his guests — half of it is pre-ordained blather. They feed their guests, particularly comedians, with cues, so they can unfold long, boring anecdotes or material from their stage show.