The Late Late Show has been cancelled from the RTE schedule this Friday and a controversial replacement has been announced for its usual 9.35pm slot
Martin McCullough and Anita McSorley
14:00, 19 Dec 2025
Patrick Kielty on the set of the RTE Late Late Show(Image: RTE )
Fans of The Late Late Show may be in for a surprise tonight when they discover that RTE’s iconic talk show won’t be hitting its usual Friday night spot.
The long-running programme, which normally airs at 9.35pm, will not be broadcast this week due to its Christmas schedule.
Host Patrick Kielty addressed the change during last week’s live show, reassuring viewers that it will return soon with a special New Year’s Eve edition.
The 54-year-old said: “We will be back on New Year’s Eve with a very special countdown show. From me and from all of us here, have a great one. This has been The Late Late Show, I have been Patrick Kielty, Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.”
This means there will be no Late Late Show next Friday either, but fans can look forward to the festive countdown on Wednesday, December 31.
For those seeking alternatives for their disrupted Friday night routine, RTE One has announced a controversial replacement for The Late Late Show.
It will be showing a repeat of the Mrs Brown’s Boys New Year’s Special, starring Brendan O’Carroll. This episode sees Agnes turn her spare room into a bed and breakfast, unaware a dangerous, escaped criminal is on the loose in Finglas.
Mrs Brown’s Boys is a comedy that strongly divides opinion, while some people love its slapstick humour, others find it cringe worthy.
Over on RTE 2, you can watch Steven Spielberg’s thriller Jaws, which follows a seaside town’s police chief dealing with a giant killer shark preying on tourists.
Meanwhile, Virgin Media One is showing White House Down, a 2013 film starring Channing Tatum and Jamie Foxx, in which a visiting policeman must save the president after terrorists seize control of the White House.
And TG4 will broadcast live coverage of the United Rugby Championship clash between Leinster and Ulster at RDS Arena.
If you’re still in need of a chat show fix, the line-up for the Graham Norton Show on BBC One includes Irish actor and singer Jessie Buckley , Hollywood comedy greats Jack Black and Paul Rudd and comedian Michelle de Swarte. It airs from 10.40pm.
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