Patrick Kielty is reportedly a “done deal” for The Late Late Show hosting gig after weeks of speculation.
Ryan Tubridy will host his final show on Friday, May 26, after 14 years at the helm.
Patrick is now the frontrunner to host the popular RTÉ chat show and after his exclusive interview with Goss.ie hit headlines on Sunday, bookies officially suspended betting on who will be the next host of The Late Late Show.
A source has since told The Irish Independent: “It’s more or less a done deal.”
“Producers want to take the show in a completely new direction and he was deemed the ideal fit for the role.”
“His people were out in RTÉ about two weeks ago to discuss the position and all the talk in Montrose is that he more or less has the gig. If he wants it, it’s his. He’s a very funny guy, he’s very normal and is great at putting people at ease.”
“He’s also well able to do the light and the shade, which is something that Tubridy excelled at but can be quite tricky.”
Credit: Brian McEvoy
“They want to make it more like Graham Norton’s show, a bit more light and fluffy,” the source continued. “Having a comedian hosting a chat show is a no-brainer as they’re used to thinking on their feet and know how to keep a show entertaining.”
“The fact that he’s from the North of Ireland is also a huge plus in his favour as it lends an all-island feel to the show.”
It comes after Patrick told Goss.ie at the 2023 IFTA Film & Drama Awards on Sunday: “The only thing I’ll say about The Late Late Show is a couple of things. 1, it is one of the greatest TV shows on the planet and whoever gets that gig is going to be really, really lucky.”
“All of the stuff that I’ve read, and all of the stuff people are saying, the one thing people have to remember is how big shoes they are to fill. I’ve done a chat show before, I’ve done a live show before, [myself and my wife Cat] have both done live TV. It’s hard.”
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“Whenever you’ve been on The Late Late Show as a guest and you’ve sat close to Ryan and seen how he does his stuff…”
The comedian’s wife Cat Deeley added: “He does it beautifully and effortlessly. He’s a swan, he glides on the top of the surface and is paddling underneath. They are very big shoes to fill.”
When asked would she be willing to move to Ireland with her husband and their children if he got the gig, Cat replied: “Let’s see if you even get it first of all shall we? We’ll talk about it then!”
On Monday morning, Ryan showed his support for Patrick on his RTÉ Radio 1 show.
He said: “Patrick Kielty featuring strongly and firmly in a lot of the papers today, with a suggestion being maybe it’s time for another PK to take over The Late Late Show.”
“Lovely man, lovely fella, and lovely wife, and a good egg all around. So, we’ll see where that all goes shall we?”
