As the Late Late Toy Show’s opening music played, there was undoubtedly a hush in living rooms nationwide as anxious parents held their children a little tighter with Thursday’s horrendous events in Dublin still fresh in their minds.
At such a tense time in the country, families across Ireland turned to the Toy Show for some much-needed light relief on Friday night and host Patrick Kielty was ready to deliver it.
Following an energetic opening performance of ‘Santa Claus is Coming To Town’ with a group of children dressed as Santa’s elves from Spotlight Stage School, Kielty briefly addressed recent events.
“Given the events of the last 24 hours, it is important to remember what this time of year is all about. That is holding your kids tight this Christmas. We are thinking of every family who needs an extra hug tonight,” he told viewers at home, the emotion evident in his voice.
After a moment of reflection, the traditional chaos and charm of the Toy Show was swiftly underway, with over 170 performers and toy testers taking centre stage to kick off Ireland’s festive season, with Naoise, 4, from Drogheda being the youngest child taking part.
For his first foray into his role as Toy Show host, Kielty donned the tight yellow leggings and fur-trimmed green jacket of Buddy the Elf and arrived via conveyer belt to kick-start his longest Late Late Show episode yet.
Kielty took over the reins of the Late Late Show in September after Ryan Tubridy stepped down as host and later left RTÉ after it was revealed that the station under-reported his salary and failed to disclose €345,000 of additional payments to him between 2017 and 2022. Tubridy since revealed he is to join Virgin Radio as a presenter, moving to London to begin the new role in January.
Under Kielty, the usual Late Late Show has seen some changes, including a new-look set, new interview formats, and a shorter runtime having shaved 30 minutes off the show. The Toy Show, however, has maintained its traditional late finish, ensuring boys and girls nationwide stay up until midnight — well past their bedtime.
Patrick Kielty pictured during the opening of the Late Late Toy Show. Picture: Andres Poveda / RTÉ̇
With Friday night’s theme paying tribute to one of Kielty’s favourite movies, the 2003 Will Ferrell Christmas film Elf, the host embraced the night’s energy and unpredictability with gusto. And there was a Christmas party atmosphere among the cheering, clapping and stamping Toy Show audience in studio four, with seasonal jumpers, Santa costumes and tinsel galore among their wardrobe choices.
The real stars of the show are the children, and from helper elves to toy testers and performers, there were plenty of enthusiastic kids on hand throughout the night.
The first helper elf we met was Amelia, who used Irish Sign Language to remind viewers the ISL version of the show is also available to watch. The first toy testers on set were brother and sister Oisín, 8, and Naoise, 4, from Drogheda, who brought Kielty over to Pizza D’Action to show off their culinary and barista skills.
Some children were delighted to be surprised by their heroes during the show. Sports-mad Stevie brought us through some of his favourite toys and books before his rousing rendition of ‘Ireland’s Call’ had the audience singing along and waving mini tricolours. The young fan was soon speechless when two of his rugby heroes, Peter O’Mahony and Bundee Aki, appeared behind him. “It’s the best day of my life,” he said.
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Performers during the show included Matilda The Musical superfans singing ‘Naughty’, and the children taking part were surprised by an appearance from the film’s star and Toy Show alum Alisha Weir.
There were some touching moments too, like when the Toy Show flew a whole family home from Australia to surprise a grandmother sitting unawares in the audience, and the moment Kielty’s voice broke as he told Sophie she and her family — and her beloved stuffed unicorn Uni — would be flown to Florida to spend a week at Disney World.
The RTÉ Toy Show Appeal also returned for its fourth year, with viewers donating via rte.ie/toyshowappeal and by the Revolut app. By the end of the show, over €3.1 million had been raised for charities.
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