Patrick Kielty has revealed that Elf the movie will be the theme for tonight's Late Late Toy Show - and he says that watching the much-loved seasonal comedy with his family has become a Christmas tradition in his house.
Speaking to RTÉ Entertainment on the set of tonight’s show in Studio 4 in RTÉ, he said: "Elf is an absolute Christmas classic and sitting down to watch it with all the family has become a big Christmas tradition in our house and I can’t wait to let Buddy and the elves loose in the Toy Show Workshop tonight.
"We’ve got some amazing kids, wonderful toys and lovely surprises coming your way. I really hope you have as much fun watching as we are going to have making it!"
Media were given a sneak preview of tonight’s set, which was created by RTÉ’s very own production designer elves. The shiny new set features many homages to Elf, including nods to New York's Central Park, The Toy Shop, Candy Cane Forest, and the film’s Post Office Workshop.
The RTÉ Costume and Make-Up Departments have also been kept busy making elf shoes, customised elf ears, and designing costumes with rich velvet colours over the past number of months.
"This young couple with a wee girl passed by and she came up to me and called me the Toy Man and I suddenly thought, `yeah, that's me!’"
On tonight’s show, Patrick will be joined by Santa, Leon the Snowman, Papa Elf, and a whole host of workshop elves as they travel through the seven levels of the Candy Cane Forest, past the sea of twirly-swirly gum drops, and journey through the Lincoln Tunnel for the most magical night on Irish television.
This year’s show will have over 170 young performers and toy testers taking part, with children hailing from all over Ireland. The youngest elf is aged just four years old.
The 52-year-old presenter from Dundrum, Co Down, will be hosting his very first Toy Show tonight on RTÉ One and the RTÉ Player at 9.35pm and he says that getting to present one of the biggest Irish TV events of the year was one of the reasons he took the Late Late job in the first place.
"It is definitely one of the reasons until you get very close to the show itself and you realise it’s probably the reason you shouldn’t have taken the job!" he says.
"But to be walking out tonight and hosting this show, it’s a big deal for me and a big deal for my family and I know it’s a big deal for everyone watching so definitely, 100% a reason for hosting the Late Late."
Speaking about his own childhood memories of watching the Toy Show, which has become an Irish institution since it debuted as a small item on the Late Late Show with Gay Byrne in 1975, Patrick said, "Never in my life did I think I’d be hosting the Toy Show.
"Even to try and get a toy that Gay demonstrated on the Toy Show, for Santa to bring that to Dundrum, Co Down, that only happened a few times so to actually be here hosting this with all the toys is crazy horse."
"The good news about having a five and a seven-year-old is that they are your biggest fans and also your biggest critics so let's see what they say on Saturday morning."
He added: "This is a big, big thing for me and as someone who grew up watching the show, walking around on the set for tonight brings me back to being eight years of age back in Dundrum watching Gay Byrne. To me, it’s a massive, massive honour to be walking out tonight and to be part of this party.
"And it is a party and we are going to have a lot of fun and we could have one or two surprises, who knows?"
Asked if he would be an all-singing all-dancing host, Patrick said: "Based on my recent performance with Daniel O’Donnell, there is a chance that I will never be allowed sing and dance in RTÉ again.
"We have some amazing performances, definitely a few costume changes. There will be singing and dancing but whether it’s me singing and dancing has yet to be seen."
Patrick is certainly ignoring the old showbiz rule of never working with children or cuddly toys but he was coy when asked if he was nervous ahead of tonight’s show.
"Ask me that at 9.33pm tonight! I’ve seen the set and I’m excited and I think with anything worth doing that is exciting, there might be a tiny bit of nerves before you go on but I think you get yourself to chill out.
"This isn’t my show, this is the kids’ show. It’s for everybody, the Irish at home and abroad. It’s like Irish Thanksgiving. The most important thing for me is to have as much fun as I can and let the kids have as much as they can.
"But with this show, the best-laid plans things will go in a totally different direction and you need to roll with the punches."
Among the toys Santa’s little helpers will be testing in tonight’s Santa’s Toy Show workshop show are Squishmallows, LEGO, Gabby’s Dollhouse, Bluey, Goo Jit Zu, Cookeez Makery, Biggies, Beast Lab, and Barbie Campervan.
There will also be some sustainable toy options including Bio-glitter, PlayMais set, Geomag Race Track, Bio Buddi set, Green Beedz, and TOYI Upcycling Craft Kit. Cost-effective toy options include Barbie Fashionista Dolls, ALDI Littletown Christmas Soft Stretchy toys and a toy DeLonghi Barista Coffee Machine.
Irish toys set to feature include Arckit, CubeFun, 3D Model Croke Park, Little Angel Dollhouse and Holotoyz Tattoos, Antics Board Game, and a Bainisteoir Board Game.
Patrick says he’s looking forward to testing the latest toys with his very own team of elves and he says that younger viewers are beginning to realise that he is the new Toy Man in town.
"There was a moment about a month ago when I was walking down the street and normally you have grown-ups coming up to you and saying that was good or that was rubbish," he says.
"But this young couple with a wee girl passed by and she came up to me and called me the Toy Man and I suddenly thought, `yeah, that’s me!’ That’s the point that puts you slightly over the edge. So far, there has been nothing but goodwill."
Last year, a global audience from over 139 countries tuned in to watch The Late Late Toy Show on the RTÉ Player, with viewers from London to New York, Madrid, Dubai, Sydney to Auckland.
A list of the toys featured will be available on the show’s website following the broadcast and all toys featured on the night will be donated to charities.
The Late Late Toy Show with Irish Sign Language (ISL) will be broadcast live on the RTÉ News Channel and RTÉ Player. For the first time, this year’s ISL coverage features two deaf presenters - Sarah-Jane O'Regan and Jason Maguire - who will be working with hearing interpreters, Amanda Coogan and Ciara Grant.
The RTÉ Toy Show Appeal, which has raised €17.5m for Irish charities over the years, is also back and donations can be made here and on the Revolut app.
Patrick’s own family, wife Cat Deeley and their two boys, seven-year-old Milo and five-year-old James, will be watching at home in London. "The kids have got their pyjamas and their slippers and we will see how much of the show they get through," Patrick says.
"They can catch up on the RTÉ Player on Saturday. The good news about having a five and a seven-year-old is that they are your biggest fans and also, your biggest critics, so let’s see what they say on Saturday morning."
He’s got some pretty big pointy, curled-up shoes to fill but the Co Down man remains calm and collected ahead of tonight’s big show.
"In terms of Pat or Ryan or Gay, you can only be yourself," he says. "I’ve been to enough five-year-old or seven-year-olds’ parties over the past few years to know that you can pretend to be whoever you want to be but being yourself is how kids are in life - and that’s how it should be."
Alan Corr @CorrAlan2
The Late Late Toy Show airs on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player tonight at 9:35pm.
All images: Andres Poveda
