RTE’s Patrick Kielty in shock last Late Late Toy Show hint with ‘nothing lasts forever’ admission as mega theme revealed

The Late Late Toy Show airs tonight on RTE One at 9.35pm
LATE Late host Patrick Kielty has hinted tonight could be his last ever Toy Show — as he’s yet to sign a new contract with RTE.

Over a million people are expected to tune in this evening to see the northerner play The Grinch in the annual Toy Show spectacular.

But fans hoping that Patrick, 52, will return to host the Toy Show next December could still be in for a shock.

He inked a deal with RTE in 2023 to host three series of The Late Late show — which runs out at the end of this season.

However, the dad of two has revealed he has yet to agree a new deal with RTE ahead of his contract ending in May 2026.

Ahead of tonight’s show — which promises to be the best one ever — Patrick told us: “No, nothing is signed. Nothing lasts forever — I’ve been lucky to host it for three years.

“With this gig you are always the lighthouse keeper. There were people here before me, there will be people here after me, so who knows what the future brings?”

Quizzed over his commitment to The Late Late Show, Patrick added: “I mean, it would be lovely to keep doing the show and it’s something I really enjoy.

“I love sitting in that chair and sharing my Fridays with everybody, but I know from experience in showbiz, and in life, you never know what’s around the corner.”

The Down man, who made his name as an award-winning stand-up comedian, has hinted he might return to treading the boards should he ever hang up the mic on Ireland’s biggest chat show.

Patrick said: “My first love has always been stand-up. Doing this (The Late Late Show) I haven’t really had the time to build and write a live show.

“My last tour was three years ago. My first love is stand-up and I will never turn my back on it. I did that once for a few years, and I really regretted it.”

BIG ANNIVERSARY

Should Patrick exit Friday nights, it will be the shortest Late Late Show reign ever — with previous host Ryan Tubridy in the chair for 14 years, predecessor Pat Kenny lasting ten years, and original host Gay Byrne doing the gig for a staggering 37 years.

Patrick, who made his debut as a comic for Gay on the chat show in 1992, said the original MC had been on his mind ahead of tonight’s show.

He admitted: “This year is the 50th anniversary of the very first Toy Show on The Late Late.

“Back in 1975, it was a segment but it grew into The Toy Show and improved substantially over the years until they changed the host three years ago, and we have been hanging on from there.

‘CULTURALLY IMPORTANT’

“On normal nights, you enter the studio from the other side, but on Toy Show night you come from the other side and under a big portrait of Gay looking down, almost saying, ‘Don’t mess it up’.”

Kielty added: “This 50th anniversary is very important because what Gay and the Late Late team created was culturally important. Now, in a time when so many families are lost in different screens, The Toy Show sees the whole family together watching one screen — it’s a unique thing.”

The opening of tonight’s extravaganza will be narrated by actor Liam Neeson, who has recorded a voice-over specially for the show.

And host Patrick will invite us onto the set of a fantastical town straight from the pages of Dr Seuss — featuring whimsical houses and a town square.

TRANSFORMATION

Patrick said he will spend hours in the make-up chair being transformed into the character famously played by Hollywood star Jim Carey in the 2000 film How The Grinch Stole Christmas.

He revealed: “It really doesn’t take much make-up to turn me into The Grinch. He has a furry belly, so we had that nailed already.

“I don’t think The Grinch really is a meanie — he’s just having a bad day and secretly loves Christmas.”

But Pat admitted he was looking forward to getting the opening of the show over.

‘JUST DEAL WITH IT’

He said: “You want to get up and running. You can’t control what happens then, you just deal with it.”

And Patrick also revealed he has “several costume changes” throughout the evening, which is not without its dangers.

He groaned: “Last year, I had to change into a gorilla suit and get behind a drum kit. People presumed it was pre-recorded — it wasn’t. I had to change in just 40 seconds and I didn’t make it.

“If you watch the clip back, you see me in a blind panic, running across the studio and smashing into the drum kit.”

VIRAL MOMENTS

Patrick’s co-stars will be over 300 children from across Ireland, singing and dancing alongside a much-loved book segment — with young reviewers and less planned Toy Show moments, which often go viral.

The host said: “You can plan things all year but the stuff that takes over the internet comes out of nowhere. A kid talking to another kid, a hug out on the floor. These are the moments that are the heart of the show”.

Patrick said the biggest pressure he faces is the ticking clock as he tries to get as many kids on screen as possible.

Patrick added: “It’s like Cinderella, it all has to end by midnight.”

He also revealed his own personal tradition of going back into the studio when the lights have gone out.

Pat said: “The Toy Show set doesn’t come down after the show. So I have this ritual where I go back into the studio on my own  and sit at the back, looking down at the set and think, ‘Wow, I was part of that’.”

The Late Late Toy Show airs tonight on RTE One at 9.35pm.