Patrick Kielty revealed he has not spoken to Ryan Tubridy ahead of his Late Late Show debut saying he is ‘trusting his gut’ to make the iconic show his own.
Having started his career as a stand-up, the seasoned host from Co Down knows a thing or two about dealing with nerves and pressure, and said his stage background is the best preparation he could have had for his new high profile gig.But after a summer of scandals with Tubridy and RTE over payments, there is undoubtedly an added pressure on how the new appointment is going to go.
He went on: “I’m pretty good at working out now sort of what’s my business and what’s not my business.“I can’t change it. I can change what happens on the show. If someone decides they want to come on the show and sit in the chair and talk about something that is all going on, then suddenly that is my business, but I think you have to kind of focus on your own stuff.”
“You have no idea, it is funny the amount of, not just my mum, the amount of friends that I have whose mum is coming up ‘I want to wish you all the best’“And when I got the gig I had people in London working in television ringing me up saying ‘Oh my god you got that amazing job’ and a call from a guy Ben Silverman, who used to run NBC Entertainment, he was in New York going ‘Oh my god you got the Late Late Show’ so what’s funny about it is, I don’t really see that that other stuff really...
“I’m kind of hoping it is going to be Patrick Kielty style… and of course there’s going to be music,” he confirmed. Naturally, he is also hoping to embrace his own comedic flair and bring the 'craic' back to the late night show. The father-of-two added: “You know I have young kids, and a lot of people sitting in on a Friday night, they are having a bottle of wine and a takeaway and people want a bit of craic.”
After just settling down in London following a move from the US, a full-time move to Ireland was off the cards for the family when he was offered the gig. And with the kids settled in school Kielty said he can’t see that changing.