Ryan Tubridy looked like a giddy schoolboy as he leapt around the set of tonight's Late Late Toy Show wearing some of the most ridiculous Christmas jumpers the world has ever seen.
“Once this goes on, it kick- starts Christmas,” he said gazing down at one red-and- green jumper which had been knitted and then festooned with tinsel, spectacles and weird little feet by a viewer from Lucan.
For almost 50 years the toy show has been a feature on Ireland’s festive calendar and has consistently attracted huge ratings. It has grown further in popularity since Tubridy took the helm.
Trying to explain the enduring appeal of what has become an Irish institution, he said simply: “I think that the world has become increasingly less magic and I think this is magic.
“That sounds highfalutin’ and bit saccharine but I believe in it. There is something very sweet about it. It is almost like a little green zone of kindness.” He said there was “a gorgeous innocence” about the children who became part of the show. Their innocence and enthusiasm made it impossible to contrive the moments of cuteness which will see many adult viewers “have a moment” when watching it.
The theme of this year's show will be Beauty and the Beast but Tubridy was tight-lipped on what role he would take for the opening number featuring a cast of more than 80 young performers.
A total of 285 children will take part and more than 200 toys will feature, while a further 300 toys have been used in the design of the set, which took seven weeks to plan and three weeks to build. All the toys will be donated to charity after the programme.
The average viewership for last year's programme was more than 1.3 million, with the most popular segments on the RTÉ Player proving to be the opening sequence which borrowed heavily from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and the surprise appearance of Ed Sheeran. Tubridy said there would be some similar surprise appearances this year.
