“Hello, and welcome to The Late Late Show…”
The Late Late Show is an institution of Irish culture: it has been running for over half a century, with content reflecting the fickle Irish psyche. At times, it has been brilliant television. At other times, it has been cringeworthy, bizarre, and downright outrageous.
We’ve selected 10 of the most batsh*t insane moments in the history of the Late Late, recalling the times the show left us stunned on our couches.
1. Pat Kenny heckled
Clip via curiouspie
Given the unenviable task of taking over from Gay Byrne at age 51, Kenny had a torrid time as Late Late host. In 2006, a man stormed the stage, calling Kenny and his ilk “insufferable a***holes”. Paul Stokes was later arrested for harassment after displaying threatening behaviour towards Kenny.
2. Gaybo lambasts RD Laing for being drunk
Clip via Eirchive
Psychiatrist RD Laing was widely regarded as one of the foremost thinkers of his time on the topic of mental illness, but Gay Byrne wasn’t impressed. Here, he has a go at the Scot for being “under the weather” and “slow” to the outrage of the audience.
3. Rap Against Rape
Clip via jeffrey44
This one has to be seen to be believed. Made up of DJs, Hazel O’Connor and “rap dancers” (whatever those are), the group raised more eyebrows than funds for the Rape Crisis Centre. With lyrics like “Young babies infants, toddlers/Yes, even a simple child/Can all end up abused/Can all end up defiled” how could they go wrong?
4. Pat Kenny rips it to pieces
Clip via curiouspie
Kenny strikes again – this time, after a caller spurns his offer of two Late Late Toy Show tickets, he takes them out and rips them to pieces live on camera, leaving the audience in bewildered silence.
5. Gerry Hannan attacks Frank McCourt
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ts1M_ef7B1o&t=2s
Clip via killianM2
With Pat Kenny still relatively green as the host, an interview with Frank McCourt was hijacked by audience member Gerry Hannan. In a lengthy tirade, he accused Angela’s Ashes author of “peddling lies about Limerick”.
6. Paul McGrath admits playing games drunk
Clip via RTÉ – IRELAND’S NATIONAL PUBLIC SERVICE MEDIA
This phenomenal interview with an Irish legend revealed that he had sometimes played entire games still drunk, even winning a man of the match award against fearsome Scot and headbutter extraordinaire Duncan Ferguson.
7. “I tell you, try it sometime”
Clip via soarer25turbos
European Commissioner Padraig “Pee” Flynn appeared on the show in 1999, in what was a spectacular and career-ending interview for the charismatic Mayo man. He made several out-of-touch comments about the size of his salary and the difficulty of managing three houses at once, telling an audience member he should “try it sometime”.
8. Boyzone and THAT dance
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1E2T_WbA9AM
Clip via 1983G
Ahh, the naivety of youth. Before they achieved international stardom, Boyzone was just a group of scantily-clad young men doing an abysmal dance routine on national television. It doesn’t get more 90s Ireland than this.
9. Pat appears on an elephant
Clip via RTÉ – IRELAND’S NATIONAL PUBLIC SERVICE MEDIA
Nothing says Christmas like… elephants? Following in the footsteps of his zookeeper father James, chemical engineer-cum-broadcaster Kenny looked worryingly at home atop Max the elephant, opening the 2002 edition in characteristically awkward style.
10. #Lambgate
Clip via The Late Late Show
Yeah. We didn’t get this one either. Tubridy greeted several lambs and a bizarre ‘lamb carousel’ onto the show, to the dismay of the audience. We were also groaning at home as a cuddly lamb was forced onto what resembled a medieval torture device, and the episode was subsequently christened ‘Lambgate’.
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