Ryan Tubridy not waiting for that ‘tap on the shoulder’ – RTE.ie
The Late Show returns to RTÉ One on Friday night with Ryan Tubridy once more in the hot seat – a role he’s certainly not going to relinquish any time soon.
It’s the 61st season of the world’s second-longest-running chat show, and it remains the number one in terms of popularity, with the annual Toy Show still a nation-stopping event when it comes around.
But there’s a reason why showbiz has ‘the show must go on’ as a maxim. No matter what, no matter who is or isn’t there, nothing stops the entertainment wheels from turning.
A veteran of TV and radio although he’s still nearly a year away from his 50th birthday, Ryan Tubridy knows the score, as he succeeded Gay Byrne and Pat Kenny as Late Late Show host. Time and telly wait for no one.
“Gay Byrne did 37 years, Pat Kenny did ten, this is my 14th,” notes the current incumbent when asked about the inevitable parting of the ways. “There will come a time,” he admits. “It’s going to be finite.
“Truthfully, it’s not in my hands, in some ways,” he says, in a nod to external factors. “I’ll get a tap on the shoulder to say ‘you’ve had your fun, now get out’.
“Am I waiting for that tap on the shoulder? No. Will I go before the tap on the shoulder comes? Most likely. When will that be? I’ll tell you on the day. But it won’t be today or tomorrow.”
Reflecting on a hugely successful broadcasting career that’s made him a household name across the country, he says: “I’ve achieved a lot in my life, I’ve had a very charmed existence, and I’ve been very fortunate.”
And he’s far away from burnout and still eager to scratch his creative itch. “I’m open to new ideas, of course,” he insists. “I’m ready.”
While acknowledging that The Late Late Show will be looking to tweak things a little over the coming months, Tubridy looks back on the last couple of years, when covid came along to change everything.
From March 2020, the show changed its complexion to reflect the pandemic times we were living in, as thousands of people died, lockdowns left massive amounts of people isolated, and many of life’s certainties simply disappeared.
The Late Late Show also had to adapt. “With the pandemic, it got quite serious – and rightly so,” Ryan recalls. “But we kept the entertainment thing going on, obviously.
“To be truthful, the night the covid thing kicked off, we were having a bit of craic before the show and the producers came up to me and said, this thing is getting really serious and we need to be careful.
“We can either go entertainment, or we can inform the people . . . tell them to hang in there, and that changed everything.
“The show did change gear. It suddenly became this town hall and you were like the mayor, saying, ‘Listen we’re all in trouble as a country and we’ll try and help you through this.’
“Will we continue that? Not as much, we’ll take the foot off that pedal because it’s all about time and place. We will of course reflect what’s happening in the world in the way we do.”
As ever, questions about RTÉ’s ability to continue providing the likes of Ryan and The Late Late Show production team the financial support to maintain its standards are on the lips of many commentators. And we’re once more facing into tough times.
But Tubridy doesn’t see cash as a conundrum for the show, insisting that its economic viability is as robust as ever.
“We have an amazing sponsor – it pays a lot of money into the organisation,” he says. “The advertising during each part of the show is immense, so The Late Late Show makes a lot of money for RTÉ.
“I would hope that translates into production means and ways, so I think we’re alright in that department.”
The Late Late Show, 9.35pm Friday, RTÉ One