And here is your host... Patrick Kielty has been announced as the new presenter of RTÉ's The Late Late Show and will take over the Friday night television role from September.
From Dundrum, Co Down, Kielty will become the fourth permanent host of the show in its 61st season, RTÉ confirmed. He had been strongly tipped over the past fortnight to succeed Ryan Tubridy and was previously linked with the programme back in 1999.
Kielty began his stand-up career as host of Northern Ireland’s first comedy club The Empire Laughs Back in Belfast. Since then, he has built a wide-ranging television and radio CV, including the BBC Northern Ireland chatshow Patrick Kielty Almost Live, which ran from 1999 to 2003.
His live stand-up tours have sold out across Ireland and Britain, while he has appeared as a guest on the Late Late on multiple occasions.
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“I’m absolutely thrilled to be the next host of The Late Late Show,” he said.
“To follow in the footsteps of Gay, Pat and Ryan as the next custodian is a real honour and I can’t thank RTÉ enough for giving me the chance to be a part of the next chapter of such an iconic show. I’m also genuinely humbled to become part of Friday nights for so many Irish people, at home and around the world. I can’t wait to get started on one of the greatest jobs in television.”
RTÉ did not reveal any format changes to the programme, which is broadcast live, has a running time of approximately two hours and traditionally crosses from lighter celebrity fare and entertainment segments into more serious issues.
Its director of content Jim Jennings said the public service broadcaster had “very definite ideas for the show already in the works” and would be busy behind the scenes shaping the series before its launch this autumn.
“Patrick Kielty is undoubtedly one of Ireland’s finest comedians, a fantastic presenter with a depth of experience and a range of talents that will bring an exciting new dynamic to the show,” he said.
“Patrick’s personality and passion is sure to connect with audiences and I look forward to it bursting on to screens in September.”
The Late Late Show began in 1962, months after the launch of the Irish television service, and was hosted by Gay Byrne in the main until his retirement in 1999. Byrne was succeeded by Pat Kenny later that year, before Tubridy began his 14-season reign in 2009. Tubridy’s last show will be broadcast next Friday.
Kielty is married to the television presenter Cat Deeley, with whom he co-presented Fame Academy for the BBC in 2002. They have two children and live in London, having previously resided in Los Angeles for 15 years.
His BAFTA-nominated programme My Dad, The Peace Deal and Me saw him named UK documentary host of the year at the 2018 Grierson Awards, while his most recent film Patrick Kielty: 100 Years of Union won a Royal Television Society (RTS) award. His first feature film, Ballywalter, in which he stars alongside Seána Kerslake, will be released later this year.
RTÉ did not indicate whether Kielty intends to continue his Saturday morning radio programme on BBC Radio 5 Live, which he only began last year.
“Mr Saturday Morning, agh, I tell you what, it’s Mr Friday Night’s the problem,” the presenter said in his introduction to his 5 Live show last Saturday, as negotiations with RTÉ were said to be underway. “That’s the problem, folks.”
RTÉ did not specify the length or nature of its agreement with Kielty, who is now likely to become RTÉ's highest-paid person.
One broadcasting industry insider has suggested to The Irish Times that media reports linking Kielty with the Late Late job in recent weeks – coupled with the move by early favourite Claire Byrne to publicly distance herself from the role – will have “played into his hands” in pay talks between his agent and RTÉ.
He is expected to command a higher salary than Tubridy did in recent years. The outgoing Late Late presenter took an 11 per cent pay cut between 2019 and 2021, bringing his 2021 salary for both the television show and his weekday Radio 1 show down to €440,000.
Speaking about Tubridy’s departure outside the Irish Film and Television Academy (IFTA) awards in Dublin earlier this month, Kielty said his would be “big shoes” to fill.
“You know, I’ve done a chat show before, I’ve done a live show before, it’s hard.”
