After months of waiting, speculation on Irish social media reached fever pitch on Friday night, with the Co Down man’s name already trending online by the time he walked out on stage to front RTE’s flagship show.
When the 52-year-old presenter finally did make his entrance it was to a recording of Gay Byrne, taken from Kielty’s first appearance on the show as a comic in 1996, a touch roundly welcomed online.
“Whoever came up with an Intro that was when Gay introduced Patrick when he was a guest defo deserves their salary (and their flip flops) posted @frillyflossy.
Known for sometimes flying close to the wind with his quips, Kielty didn’t disappoint by swiftly unleashing a barrage of one-liners addressing the scandal hit station’s recent headlines.
The mix of humour and humility – the dad of two spoke emotionally about just what the gig meant to him – won over the Twittersphere (or Xsphere as it is now, if that’s not too much change to deal with in one night).
“Alright so was never a fan of the Late Late, I never quite understood the appeal tbh,” wrote @M89Louise. “But this dude Patrick Kielty taking the p*ss out of RTE…just fking brilliant. He’s winning me over.”
Others were quick to point out that perhaps not everyone viewing (RTÉ execs and the show’s former host) might have found the opening monologue and its jokes made at their (ahem) expense, quite so side-splitting.
Having kept the guest list under wraps, speculation was rife with who would grace the new set. With many predicting, and a few like @boringkearney hoping for, some very familiar faces. “Dermot Bannon is still going to be a guest though, right?” the Rob and Dave parody account posted earnestly.
“If Dermot Bannon is on the #LateLateShow tonight I’m boycotting forever,” added @robcullen79 on X/Twitter.
Host Patrick Kielty pictured with The 2 Johnnies on the 61st series return of The Late Late Show, 15th September 2023.
Instead we were treated to Tommy Tiernan, Hector Ó hEochagáin, former President Mary McAleese with all guests sharing the stage giving ‘neighbourhood watch vibes’ according to @GraceMKennedy.
But while Bannon may not have made it onto the new chairs, several felt there was certainly room to improve the styling and design of the new set.
“You know the budget is tight when they’ve to borrow a desk from the local primary school,” griped @NaAmadan. “They need to turn that table Kielty is on, it’s at a ridiculous angle,” agreed @Tuts276
“Set is too blue,” added @RustyMcGusty1 emphatically. “I thought it was the 9 o’clock news,” while @JamesMcCarthy was left cold by the curtain giving him “crematorium vibes”.
Hopes for a bit of rock (ideally the Portmarnock one) were dashed, and those hoping for the Wolfe Tones were left similarly stony faced when the music act was announced as Chasing Abbey.
With the 2 Johnnies brought on – after break that included an advert reminding everyone to pay their TV licence, whose timeliness wasn’t lost on the Twitter/ X brigade – the enthusiasm seemed to wan a little with several viewers. “The night has taken a turn…and that turn has lead into the RTÉ canteen it seems,” mused @DarrenMcMahon54. Although their names did allow witty online commentators like @DjMakG to note that “Gaybo had the johnnys on long b4 you”.
Rather than longing to be in the audience, many watching at home were wishing they’d instead opted to do their viewing at the Dundrum Inn in Kielty’s home town, where a live feed revealed punters cashing in on free rounds every time the presenter said the name of the Co Down village.
The mystery guest was finally unveiled as footballer James McClean whose emotive interview resonated with plenty, though others were quick to note how Northern heavy the line-up was.
All in all a solid start. As @margaretDugganx best put it: “Well done @PatricKielty #LateLateShow finally a programme for everyone.
