Late Late Toy Show review: Kielty enters the arena with a look on his face that says exactly what we’re all thinking – he’s the right man for the job | Irish Independent
Flor Lynch
Lauren Maria Bronzeri Macmullan (8) from Walkinstown, Toy Demonstrator with Patrick Kielty at The Late Late Toy Show 2025.
Patrick Kielty dressed up as The Grinch for the opening of The Late Late Toy Show
Keelan and Dylan played a big part in The Late Late Toy Show
Limerick folk trio Kingfishr showed up for a sing-song with their emotional fans on The Late Late Toy Show
Patrick Kielty with Declan trying out 'Pitch and Potty' on The Late Late Toy Show
Keelan Tiernan (10) and Dylan Bowe (10) from Dublin with Roy Keane at The Late Late Toy Show 2025.
Lauren Maria Bronzeri Macmullan (8) from Walkinstown, Toy Demonstrator with Patrick Kielty at The Late Late Toy Show 2025.
Patrick Kielty dressed up as The Grinch for the opening of The Late Late Toy Show
Leave it to Liam Neeson, the most distinctive voice in Irish entertainment, to bring some genuine Hollywood magic to the Late Late Toy Show.
Big Liamo couldn’t be with us, sadly - not in the flesh, at least – but Ireland’s slickest big-screen action man was on hand to provide mischievous narration to Patrick Kielty’s lively, Grinch-themed opener last night.
Start well, end well – it’s the Toy Show way - and Kielty’s Late Late intros have, in his first three seasons, eclipsed those of his famous predecessors.
A natural comic, the Co Down man is at home to laughing at himself and his surroundings. Last year, he wore a Christmas tree costume; this time, he was a Dr Seuss character.
A natural progression, perhaps, and Kielty enters the Toy Show arena with a look on his face that says exactly what we’re all thinking: he’s the right man for the job.
Playful yet sarcastic, Gay Byrne occasionally looked as if he tolerated this annual display of televised festive frolics, instead of enjoying it.
Pat Kenny, bless him, was never all that comfortable with the gig - not like his replacement, Ryan Tubridy, who seemed to genuinely embrace the silliness and the suspense.
And then there’s Kielty, an accomplished broadcaster, and a fine showman, who again is more at ease with the goofy, eccentric nature of this treasured annual fixture.
Lauren Maria Bronzeri Macmullan (8) from Walkinstown, Toy Demonstrator with Patrick Kielty at The Late Late Toy Show 2025.
Comfortable and commanding, the current Toy Show frontman is remarkably good at making his youngest guests forget their nerves. He’s also remarkably good at convincing the older viewers in the audience that he might actually enjoy this vibrant Late Late edition more than the usual version.
Obviously, it’s not just about the renowned headliner. The Late Late Toy show would be lost without its enthusiastic young helpers, and there were some endearing superstars in the mix this year. The first, Declan from Cork, knew exactly how to charm an audience.
Declan, fair play to him, brought an old bathroom accessory along to show us all a game he likes to call “Pitch and Potty” (it’s exactly as it sounds).
Patrick Kielty with Declan trying out 'Pitch and Potty' on The Late Late Toy Show
It is, explained Declan, a hobby that came about when his mother tried to bin his old potty. Would it not be better, he suggested, to hold on to the item to help him practice his golfing skills?
Kielty thought so, and who knows? Maybe Shane Lowry – who appeared in a pre-recorded video message, inviting the youngster to next year’s Irish Open – might one day agree.
Oh, and Declan also brought a plastic poop toy with him (you read that right). “When you’re feeling down,” he told Kielty, “you can just cuddle up with your Christmas poop and think of me”.
It says a lot about the Toy Show that this isn’t the weirdest thing a child has come out with on Ireland’s funniest televised extravaganza. If the kids were full of beans, then Kielty was positively wired.
It’s difficult to pick a highlight: our passionate host engaging in panda bear-like tumbles on the studio floor (another unusual sentence, for sure); Kielty dressed in medical scrubs, treating a cuddly stuffed toy named Cooper; Kielty donning a safety suit (you had to be there) for a stunt-toy showcase with a wee gem of a young fella named Shay. The list goes on.
Limerick folk trio Kingfishr showed up for a sing-song with their emotional fans on The Late Late Toy Show
There were some famous faces in the mix. Limerick folk trio Kingfishr showed up for a sing-song with their emotional fans. Lewis Capaldi, speaking from Down Under, sent in a video message – yes, another one - inviting a couple of wonderful Dublin lads to his gigs here next summer.
All of which brings us to best pals Keelan and Dylan, who were tasked with the impossible: to climb the first Late Late Toy show Jenga tower.
Reach the top, and the lads would help win toys for sick children around the country.
“Do your job,” said Kielty in his best encouraging voice. It was only after he repeated it for the third time that we realised what was happening. Roy Keane, excited and delighted for a change, showed up to help the kids with their climb.
“That’s my line”, Keane told Kielty. And that was the end of that.
Keelan Tiernan (10) and Dylan Bowe (10) from Dublin with Roy Keane at The Late Late Toy Show 2025.
Later, Kielty – a famous Man United supporter – swallowed his pride to welcome a young Liverpool fan named Layla for a comical in-studio kickabout.
Layla’s favourite Liverpool player? Northern Irish right-back Conor Bradley. Who appeared in (another) pre-recorded video message to invite Layla to Anfield next January? Conor bloomin’ Bradley.
The best surprise of the night, however, was a live appearance from CMAT, the Irish pop sensation of the year, dropping in from a sold-out 3Arena gig to deliver the good news: this year’s Toy Show Appeal had raised more than €4m for children’s charities in Ireland.
Indeed, the Toy Show is a tradition and an institution, probably the biggest night in Irish television. But for the giddy young helpers in studio, and at home, it’s so much more than that: it’s a Christmas treat they’ll never forget, and you don’t get too many of those.
Will Kielty renew his Late Late Show contract next year? We’ll find out soon enough. Would the Toy Show be lost without him? Possibly not. But he’s pretty darn great at it.