An Early Early Toy Show
TV3 serving up festive feast of its own on same night as RTÉ’s Christmas cracker
FOR Irish children (of, ahem, all ages), The Late Late Toy Show i s undoubtedly the highlight of the viewing calendar.
And, this year, Christmas is going to come early for excited viewers – as TV3 has announced that it too plans to have its own seasonal toy extravaganza – on the very same night.
Panto favourite Alan Hughes will present the TV3 show, which will air just 90 minutes before the longestablished RTÉ version as fronted by a suitably Christmas jumper-ed Ryan Tubridy.
The Showpal Christmas Toys Show will go out on TV3 at 8pm on November 29 with The Late Late Toy Show in its usual slot at 9.30pm on RTÉ1.
The latter is typically the mostwatched show on Irish television annually, attracting a whopping 1.3m viewers last year.
The announcement follows news this week that TV3 is to lose many high-rating shows such as Corona- tion Street and Emmerdale as UTV plan to launch a new TV station here in early 2015, which will have exclusive rights to those shows.
TV3’s Showpal Christmas Toys Show will be filmed at Tatersalls’ Winter Wonderland in Ratoath, Co Meath, and will feature children as guest reviewers.
The station’s Ireland AM, on which Hughes is a presenter, has broadcast a feature on toys in the run-up to the festive season for the past seven years.
The independent broadcaster says the earlier airing of their half-hour show will give children the chance to see the newest toys and books on offer before bedtime.
Children from around the country will help find out which toys are most in demand this year – the ones Santa might need to stock up on ahead of Christmas morning.
The Waterford-based Richie Hayes Stage School will also be performing a festive piece. Dublin’s Billy Barry Kids have had a long associa-
‘A more suitable time for children’
tion with RTÉ’S offering. A spokesperson for TV3 denied that the show was designed to rival the Late Late Show’s version, saying it was at a more suitable time for children.
‘I think it’s just to try and provide an alternative because a lot of the children have to stay up past their bedtime for The Late Late (Show) so we feel there’s a little niche there in terms of, there would be a lot of younger children in bed, ’ said spokesperson Sharon McHugh.
‘It’s half an hour long so it will hold their interest as well,’ she said.
‘If it was rivalling it, we would go head to head,’ she added.
‘Kids go crazy coming up to Christmas, they get very excited so this is just catering for that market there and catering for parents who would like their children to be able to see it at the right time.’
The Showpal Christmas Toys show will air on November 29 at 10am and again at 8pm.