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Ryan Tubridy broke down and cried when he first saw the set of The Late Late Toy Show, saying that this year it will be “bigger than normal.”
The 47-year-old will host the annual spectacular this Friday and was overwhelmed when he saw it in a first set.
“I cried,” he admits. “It’s the first time in a long time that I’ve really cried. I’d rather not tell you what triggered it, but I can safely say that we’re accomplishing something big this year with the Toy Show, bigger than normal.”
“Which is a great accomplishment when you consider how different this year’s show will be compared to normal years.
“It’s a logistical nightmare, there are technical aspects of this live show that I will never understand. All I know is that I am in front of the house trying to pretend I know what I am doing and trying to give the viewers something at home. Magical. to feast your eyes.
“I’m not a sportsman, but I always use a sports analogy to describe my role on Toy Show night. I’m the striker who hangs on the box and leaves the ball on a plate for me to push. A goal. The team. does all the hard work.
“This year, more than ever, we need this Toy Show. The children deserve it after the year they have been through. Parents deserve it too. And I also hope grandparents tune in because they have missed a lot too and a lot of they are alone. So this year’s show is for them too. “
Feeling like he was sinking into a flurry of deep and sensitive cliches, I stopped him in his tracks and asked how he was going to attract grandparents.
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Ryan Tubridy to host a ‘Late Late Toy Show’ with a difference this year
“I don’t want to spoil all the surprises, but when we called on Irish children living abroad to take part in the program this year, it was not just for talented children and children testing toys.
“From Brighton to Boston to Brisbane, there are kids participating this year that will blow your mind. Let’s just say people like Granny McLaughlin in Monaghan will get big surprises next Friday. There’s a lot of heart in this year’s show.
“I’ve been thinking about this program since March. And more recently, when travel restrictions were tightened, it became clear that, for the first time, children may not see some of their family members this year.
“And that annoys me and the team, and it will annoy you at home watching. But in the world of technology we will do our best to give some surprises and bring people together as best we can.
“We’ve already filmed a few things and one piece blew me away. You will need the tissues that night. Trust me.”
He continued: “Social distancing is the enemy of the Toy Show but we will prevail. There will be a virtual audience in the studio, but other than that it will be me and the team doing everything we can to create as much of a distraction from Covid as we can.
“I’ve had eight months of practice yelling at the camera, but this show more than most relies on audience participation, so I’ll definitely miss it. It won’t be the same buzz that I normally get, but if we achieve what we’re planning the same night I will be a very happy man.
“There will be awards, but not in the traditional sense. Obviously there will be no more ‘there is one for everyone in the audience’ and there will be celebrity appearances and tryouts of toys and musical numbers. But things will come down in that sense. It has to be.
“So our biggest challenge was to make this big being very young. And although we are not finished yet, the plan is amazing and we believe it will be the type of programming that viewers deserve in these days from the national broadcaster.”
Earlier this year, Ryan became one of the first big names to contract Covid-19, but he says he hasn’t experienced any long-term effects since he was shot down.
“I did it wrong, really. But not as bad as some people. I was fooling myself at first. I was in denial.
“I even hid my wheezing from my bosses when I made the calls. There were a lot of calls to make. I didn’t want my family to find out first in the press. So once the TV and radio people on RTÉ knew that I told my family.
“If anything good can come of that, it’s that I’ve been through it. I can empathize with the people who suffer from it. After a few weeks of being back I spoke with the producers of my shows and told them that we should avoid numbers.” ‘and we focused on people, so we were able to talk to a lot of people who have been seriously affected. “
Another positive Ryan drew from Covid was that he received a large amount of fan mail during that time. “The handwritten cards, with immaculate calligraphy, from the listeners and viewers were beautiful. They tend to be of a certain age, if you know what I mean.
“They were all lovely, but I also got a lot of pencil drawings and messages from kids who thought ‘Toy Man’ was really sick. That struck me the most.
“I have that role in many children’s lives. I don’t take it for granted and make sure to do my best to make sure they get the little bit of escapism they deserve each year. My own girls are grown up now, so I miss that excitement. and hysteria that the youngest give you.
“Everyone will continue to have that feeling on next week’s show. I just won’t necessarily be in the same room as the kids this year.
“I won’t be able to go over and hug any of the kids if something goes wrong and they are thousands of miles apart. I’ll just assure them that they are doing it brilliantly and that they will do their best.”
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