Tubridy’s the Greatest Showman... across the globe

THEY are the moments that enthralled and moved Toy Show viewers all over Ireland – so it is no surprise that they had the same effect as far away as Mongolia.

Memorable clips of last Friday night’s Late late Show special – including young Michael meeting his idol Davy Fitzgerald and the chat with eight-year-old Scott who donated bone marrow to save his six-year-old cousin Grace – proved so popular that they have been shared across the globe. It was the most watched programme on RTÉ this year, with more than 1.5million people tuning in on the night to watch Ryan Tubridy and a host of talented kids take on the theme of The Greatest Showman.

The station’s 43rd toy show gripped 74% of all adults watching television on the night and 89% of the children. As viewers online and on the RTÉ player grow every year, it has emerged that the viewership rose to 1.9million over the weekend.

Presenter Tubridy said that he was ‘blown away’ by the volume of people who tune in to the show every year, and he praised those behind the scenes for making the show come to life.

‘As a team, we are so honoured that people open their arms and welcome us in for such a magical night,’ he said. ‘I sincerely hope it was as much fun for our viewers as it was for me on Friday.

‘The production team and the children are what make the Toy Show special and memorable.’

The show was so popular internationally that #LateLateToyShow was trending globally on Twitter during the show and over the weekend. It was screened in more than 100 countries including Myanmar, Burundi, Haiti and Mongolia.