Patrick Kielty’s debut at the helm of The Late Late Show attracted a record-breaking audience of nearly one million viewers.
The Co Down presenter made history as only the fourth presenter of the world’s longest-running live chatshow.
Kielty’s eagerly anticipated debut recorded a peak audience of 934,000, with an average audience of 830,000.
The RTÉ Player has had 158,000 streams of Friday night’s show, making it the strongest-ever Late Late Show opening on RTÉ Player.
Patrick’s guests on opening night included Tommy Tiernan, former President Mary McAleese, footballer James McClean, and The 2 Johnnies. There was also live music from Chasing Abbey.
The new host opened with some witty remarks about RTE’s financial controversies over the summer, including the infamous flip flops and Grant Thornton.
“Give it up for Grant Thornton and the flip-flops!” the presenter dubbed the band.
Kielty also poked fun at former host Ryan Tubridy’s understatement of his salary by RTÉ.
“And we’re trying on the brand-new format tonight on the show when a host gets to ask the questions instead of having to answer them at the Oireachtas,” Kielty said.
RTÉ Director General Kevin Bakhurst responded to the jokes on Twitter/X, saying “Actually thought they were great!”
What. An. Opening. @PatricKielty #LateLate pic.twitter.com/yx77sFIpHo
— The Late Late Show (@RTELateLateShow) September 15, 2023
