The former RTÉ broadcaster opened up about landing the Late Late Show presenter role and said he felt he was too young with ‘a lot of giddiness left’
Ryan Tubridy pictured on the series finale of The Late Late Show(Image: Andres Poveda)
Ryan Tubridy has revealed the moment he discovered he was the new Late Late Show presenter.
The former RTÉ broadcaster admitted that he wished he had secured the Late Late gig later in life, despite it being one of the greatest moments of his career.
“Pat Kenny left the Late Late Show. I remember watching it that night. My phone went, ‘You’re up next,’ but I said, ‘No I’m not, I’m too young.’ I was about 31 at the time,” Ryan said.
Ryan added there were other more seasoned people also vying for the position at the time, such as Miriam O’Callaghan and Gerry Ryan. Ryan disclosed that Patrick Kielty’s name was also mentioned during this period too.
“Some of them were called in for discussions, and by discussions I mean one conversation which was, ‘Why do you think you should present the Late Late Show?’ I said it was the town square and you’re the mayor. You’re bringing everyone together to say how was the week. And it’s Ireland.”
Ryan Tubridy on the Late Late Show(Image: File Pic -Brian McEvoy)
After a while, Ryan received a phone call asking him to meet RTÉ’s Director General and Head of TV, reports RSVP Live. “I presumed they were just going to say thanks a million and they were going to give the job to somebody else… I was really happy where I was. I wasn’t expecting it.”
However, Ryan was told he had landed the role, much to his astonishment. He was only permitted to tell his parents and immediate family initially.
“It really was amazing,” he told the Talking Bollox Podcast. “If I’m being really honest with you, I wish I got it five years after, I think I needed a bit more experience of life under my belt…. I was happy doing Tubridy Tonight, there was nothing wrong with it, it was the cheeky younger brother of the Late Late Show, I was enjoying the role. Once you got the Late Late, you had to put on that suit, it was grown up television.
26/05/2023 Ryan Tubridy pictured on the series finale of The Late Late Show.(Image: Andres Poveda)
“It was a lot of responsibility and I am not very responsible. I had a lot of giddiness left in me before I got to full adulthood in TV terms.”
Ryan explained that he hadn’t travelled much at that age, and he felt like he lived in a bit of a bubble concerning where he went to school and university.
After a few years of learning more about Ireland, meeting diverse people and travelling, he felt he had matured significantly as a presenter. “By the time I was a few years into the Late Late, I had settled in and thought, ‘I’ve got it’.”
Ryan added that the show remains a truly significant part of Irish culture, explaining that massive Hollywood stars like Colin Farrell and Michael Fassbender often expressed they were nervous about appearing on the Late Late despite featuring on huge US talk shows.
Ryan said it was because everyone they knew back home would be tuning in.
“It’s a 60 year old institution that is part and parcel of who we are. It’s massive,” he added.
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