The Co Down native takes over from Ryan Tubridy, who presented the Toy Show for 14 years, making the comedian the fourth presenter to take over what will be the show’s 48th edition.
At the end of last week’s show, Kielty shared a message to young viewers ahead of his first Toy Show on Friday, in his closing monologue he said it was a “dream come true” to be hosting a show he used to watch with his family as a child.
He recalled how he would sit on his father’s knee as his family watched Gay Byrne host the iconic Christmas show.
If you are getting into the spirit of Christmas early, we have listed all you will need to know about this year’s Late Late Toy Show.
The Late Late Toy Show will air live on Friday, November 24 at 9.35pm on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player.
If you are living abroad, the Toy Show will be available live on RTÉ Player for a worldwide audience. This can be accessed through your desktop or the app.
The theme of every Toy Show is always kept top secret until the set is revealed on the morning of the show.
Last year, the Wizard of Oz theme took viewers down the yellow brick road for Tubridy’s final Toy Show.
In the past, the show’s creators have taken inspiration from popular children’s stories, jumping from Disney hits such as The Jungle Book and The Lion King, to the imaginary tales pulled from the wonderful world of Roald Dahl.
As for this year, your guess is as good as ours!
Host Patrick Kielty pictured on the 61st series return of The Late Late Show, 15th September 2023. Picture Andres Poveda
Patrick and his very first team of toy testers will show off the latest and greatest new toys on the market.
Toys featured on the show are supplied to RTÉ from toy retailers throughout the country.
After they are shown off live on air at the Toy Show, all toys are donated to charities across Ireland, just in time for Christmas.
As well as seeing a range of the newest toys, the Toy Show always has top class entertainment from the children and teenagers of Ireland, as well as a few famous faces.
More than 200 young toy testers and performers took part last year, with Liverpool goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher and Irish footballer Katie McCabe featuring as guests on the night along with a pre-recorded message from Harry Potter star Emma Watson.
Whether it is Dermot Kennedy or Girls Aloud, the Toy Show has always surprised its audience with special guests.
In previous years, we have seen guest appearances from Ed Sheeran, The Edge, Gary Barlow and many more.
To support children’s charities across the country, The Toy Show Appeal is back for its fourth year.
Last year, 1.6 million people tuned into Tubridy’s last Late Late Toy Show, making it the public broadcaster’s most watched programme of 2022, with €4 million raised for Irish charities across the island from its Toy Show Appeal.
Donations can be made through www.rte.ie/toyshowappeal. This year they are also accepting donations through the Revolut app which will go live on the night.
Each year, the Toy Show audience is selected from a random selection of applicants who send in applications to be a part of the action.
The lucky names picked get to watch the show live from the RTÉ studio and take home a wide range of amazing gifts.
Applications to be in the audience of this year’s Late Late Toy Show opened on October 18, with interested parties asked to fill out a form with more information about themselves.
Potential audience members are asked to fill-out a questionnaire on why they and their guest want to be there for the Toy Show and answer a number of questions about their own Christmas traditions.
