T-shirts and obscene language aside, Kielty has revived ‘Late Late Show’

Host has proved he is a force to be reckoned with as his first season draws to a close

We came to scoff, but stayed to pray. Patrick Kielty is doing very nicely as his first season as presenter of The Late Late Show ends tonight. Some good news for RTÉ at last.

As outlined in the Sunday Independent by Niamh Horan, the viewing figures for the Late Late Show actually rose this season, by about 45,000. The number of online views soared from 49. 7 million to 136 million.

Of course, it’s not all down to Kielty. He has benefited from not just a shorter season, but from a running time that is shorter by 30 minutes. The days when you could not get to the end of The Late Late Show without reaching for the remote are over. Everything is tighter.

The new formula seems to be four interesting guests (always one from the world of sport and often one from British media) plus music – not just performers, but musical introductions for guests.

And the old faithfuls like the competition and the “one-for-everybody in the audience” freebie. More on that in a minute.

On the music side, mention must be made of Bambie Thug’s beautiful rendition on April 19 of their Eurovision song Doomsday Blue, accompanying themselves on a rose-strewn piano. It was a surprising and sensible choice – the best of Late Late Show decisions.

But Kielty must take a lot of the credit for the revival. Last year, he stepped into a scandal-ridden, flabby and exhausted format and he has perked it up.

We also know how much he is earning, which is nice.

Anyone who can look comfortable handling the New Year’s Eve shenanigans show and talking to two relatives of Stardust victims about their historic inquest victories – and then moving to shake hands with the other relatives sitting in the audience – is surely a broadcaster to be reckoned with.

You know there’s going to be serious stuff on when Kielty is wearing a suit and tie. He wore that for the Stardust relatives and when his guest was post-resignation Leo Varadkar.

Who doesn’t love a Taoiseach on The Late Late Show? Leo opened by apologising for having been difficult to catch. Not at all, said Kielty, we know you’ve been busy. Leo wasn’t wearing a tie.

The great thing about Kielty is that whatever he’s wearing – and those black T-shirts have to go – he looks like he’s enjoying himself, and he looks like he understands.

He manages to deliver announcements that could be part of his standup act, but most emphatically are not.

For example, opening the New Year’s Eve show, he had to say: “And a big thank you to the Irish Prison Service Pipe Band.”

He did this with a big smile, as if he could not quite believe what he was saying. He can straddle two worlds.

Never is this skill more necessary than when he’s performing what are essentially infomercials for the baskets of goodies being bestowed on every member of the Late Late Show audience, whose greed appears to be bottomless.

It takes a strong man to itemise fake-tanning products or €375 worth of skincare, but Kielty just about manages.

But really, this is a shocking thing to do to a sophisticated performer – what next, piles remedies? The show’s reputation as an icon of public broadcasting isn’t helped by the fact the sponsors are usually listed in the final credits .

The Late Late Show has always told us more about our society than we really want to know. For example, the competition announcements of “tax-free cash”.

The problem of having children with English accents (because you have made a good living in England, perhaps married a nice English person) was discussed twice in a fortnight.

Annie MacManus talked with Kielty about being an Irish parent in England. Neither she nor Kielty turned to the man sitting beside them, Strictly Come Dancing judge Craig Revel Horwood, who is an Australian immigrant to England.

Always the tunnel vision trained on our national identity and our constant need for reassurance.

But most of that isn’t Kielty’s fault. He seems to delight in the Late Late’s

newfound attention to detail.

He walks on to the opening bars of Led Zeppelin’s Whole Lotta Love

one week – big smile for that one – and The Boomtown Rats’ Rat Trap

another. Jockey AP McCoy entered to A Horse With No Name by America.

He then conducted an identity parade of the famous horses in his life to the tune of My Lovely Horse from Father Ted. It all works.

You can’t argue with a programme with a line-up of Varadkar, Brian O’Driscoll, Revel Horwood and MacManus (that was on April 26, Led Zeppelin week).

Or last week, an excellent and old-fashioned Late Late Show

farewell to Bryan Dobson, who called Kielty “Patrick”, and was followed by Mario Rosenstock.

The Late Late is a big show. When things are going well, as they surely are at the moment, it’s the nation’s fireside. So a quick appeal here for obscene language and double entendres to be toned down, particularly in the opening minutes.

Kielty is guilty here, but we forgive him. Thanks to his sureness of touch, it has been a good year.

‘It takes a strong man to itemise fake-tanning products or €375 worth of skincare’