‘Apparently I killed off the owl’ – Patrick Kielty on Late Late changes and first show plans

In a new interview, Kielty spoke in depth about what makes the Late Late so special and "uniquely Irish".

Patrick Kielty has got a very busy month ahead of him, with September to see both his first movie arriving in cinemas and his debut as the presenter of the Late Late. Kielty's first episode succeeding Ryan Tubridy as the long-running RTÉ talk show's host will air on 15 September. Then, a week later on 22 September, his comedy-drama film Ballywalter - in which he plays a divorced middle-aged man who decides to try his hand at stand-up comedy - will land in Irish theatres. In a new interview with The Irish Times about the two projects, the Northern Irish comedian opened up about what he finds so special about the Late Late. One element is that it is "the only live chat show in the world", with Kielty explaining:

"If you look at Graham [Norton]’s show and Jonathan Ross’ show, they’re all pre-recorded… There’s something about it being live. It could be great and it might not go great. The moth-to-the-flame thing of ‘live’, the fact that this could go wrong, that’s still a driver for me.”

The comedian also said that the way the Late Late veers between lighter material and serious topics in contrast to most other talk shows makes it "completely and uniquely Irish".

Patrick Kielty on taking over the Late Late

Regarding this, he told the paper:

“When I go back to Co Down and walk in to the local pub, you can be standing talking to someone having great craic, and then somebody walks in and someone has just died and you have a serious chat about that and then somebody’s singing a song, and then somebody’s talking about politics, and then somebody tells them they’re talking out of their arse and then somebody sings another song. "You don’t get that in an American bar. You don’t get that in an English pub. The Late Late Show has always had that thing of ‘everyone should be treated the same’. There’s a real egalitarian nature to the show."

Asked if knows how long he would like to host the programme for, Kielty told The Irish Times that he did not, highlighting that the show's much-publicised shorter season gives him the space to do more acting or stand-up if he desires. Another impending change for the Late Late, meanwhile, is that its episodes will not be as long - wrapping up at around 11pm as opposed to 11.30pm. When quizzed about any other future alterations to the programme, Kielty said: “I think it’s a big enough change just being you," before joking:

"I was reading this week about some changes I’d made. Apparently, I killed off the owl and I didn’t want any music on The Late Late Show. Report that verbatim. I’m joyless.”

Kielty also told the paper that he and his Late Late team are currently organising the guests and sets for the first run of shows. When The Irish Times' interviewer Patrick Freyne jokingly suggested he invite the RTÉ Board on his first episode, in a reference to the broadcaster's secret payments scandal, the comedian pretended to type the idea into his phone and responded:

“The. RTÉ. Board ... Yeah, I’m sure it’s not the last we’ll hear of all of that … It hasn’t happened until it happens on The Late Late Show? Isn’t that what they used to say?”

You can read the wide-ranging interview with Patrick Kielty in The Irish Times right here. Read more:

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