INSPIRATIONAL CHILDREN MAKE SHOW A TRIUMPH
IT wasn’t your usual Late Late Toy Show. Yes, there was the traditional bigbudget musical opener (well, big in RTÉ’s current straitened circumstances) , but more than ever before, this was about the children and not the toys.
And what a bunch of children they were, so inspirational they left most of us adults at home gulping back the tears.
We met Tom, who goes to his Nanny Pat three days a week to eat bacon and cabbage and to knit alongside her; their obvious bond was a joy to witness. Then there was brother and sister Oisín and Molly, who took up magic in their summer holidays, but it was magic with a difference, the Tommy Cooper version played for laughs rather than skill.
Aspiring boxer Ella met her heroine Katie Taylor, crying with happiness and admiration, and reminding us of the power of a role model to inspire those who follow in her footsteps.
But if there was a standout moment, it came in the form of a girl called Sophia.
She told of how she was bullied at school for being different, because she had a boyish haircut, and Ryan Tubridy, always at his best with children, explained how bullies never win.
Sophia asked to have a final word. Looking straight to camera, she spoke of those who belittled her. ‘They’re all at home watching and I’m on the
Late Late Toy Show. Who’s the weirdo now?’
I smiled and I clapped at her powerful message, the highlight of a show that put children centre stage and ended up, in a quiet and unshowy way, a triumph.