PATRICK Kielty is pulling more viewers to the Late Late Show than Ryan Tubridy was last season, we can reveal.
The comedian will host the last Late Late of his debut season on Friday, May 10.
But RTE bosses are said to be “over the moon” with the performance so far of the Co Down man.
New figures released to the Irish Sun show that the 22 episodes of The Late Late Show in 2023/2024 season have had an average audience of 452,000, with a 39 per cent share.
That is in contrast to previous host Tubs, who had an average audience of 407,000 with a 38 per cent share from the same number of episodes last year.
A TV insider told The Irish Sun: “What’s even more significant is that Patrick Kielty has turned the Late Late Show from a talk show into an entertainment show. But with serious conversations taking place.
“That’s the brilliance of Patrick, he can go from interviewing the Taoiseach one minute to jumping around in ballet tights for laughs.
“No one else can do that. Patrick is politically smart but also knows how to get laughs.”
RTE are also said to be pleased that the Co Down man is attracting younger viewers to the show.
The station also told us that “audience share for the Late Late Show Show in the 15-34 age demographic is up versus this period last year”.
‘Pure Ant & Dec’
Audiences have been entertained by wacky stunts, which included members of the studio audience being drenched with buckets of water during a quiz on last Friday’s show.
The source said: “It’s pure Ant & Dec now on the Late Late.
“People need some light relief on a Friday night and they’re getting it from Patrick Kielty.”
Northerner Patrick signed a deal with RTE to make a 30-show run every season until 2026.
Plans to stay
Reports had speculated that wife Cat Deeley being hired as the new co host of ITV’s This Morning might see Kielty curtail his work to be closer to the couple’s two boys, Milo, eight and James, five, in the UK.
However, a source close to the TV host said he plans to stick with the Late Late.
The insider said: “Patrick loves the Late Late. He grew up watching the show and knows the significance it has in Irish life.
“He gets on well with the team on the show and these figures prove that the Late Late audience like him too. He’s not going anywhere.
“In fact it was more difficult for him when Cat was working on American TV. Himself and Cat have their work schedule worked out to a tee.”
No doubt it helps that Kielty 2023/2024 Late Late run is nearly two months shorter than previous Late Late Show hosts.
The dad-of-two only had to host 30 episodes per season, compared to recent seasons under Tubridy with 35-37 shows.
While RTE had no comment to make on scheduling issues, an industry source told The Irish Sun: “I’d guess this is a cost-saving exercise by RTE.
Costs saved
“Across the industry broadcasters are commissioning six episodes of a show where they once commissioned eight. It’s one of the ways broadcasters save money.”
Looking back over his first season on the Late Late, Patrick singled out his chat with US talk show Conan O’Brien as “obviously a highlight”.
He added: “That first show will always stick in the memory with Tommy (Tiernan) and Mary McAleese.”
Late Late insiders say Patrick does not plan to make any further changes to the Late Late when it returns next year.
The source said: “If it’s not broke, why fix it.”
Kielty’s success as Late Late Show host is seen as a feather in the hat for Head of Entertainment, former BBC man Alan Tyler who hired him.
Commentators had feared the worst for the flagship RTE show last year, when executive producer Jane Murphy departed from after just four weeks having overseen its relaunch.
