Patrick Kielty says he will have to change his phone number when requests for tickets for The Late Late Toy Show start rolling in.
Ryan Tubridy will host his final Late Late Show this Friday, May 26, and RTE confirmed on Saturday that Kielty will take over as the next host when the new season starts in September.
The Co Down man, 52, will take the helm for the 61st season, having established himself on TV and radio in Ireland and the UK as both a stand-up comedian and presenter.
Read more: New host of RTE's Late Late show confirmed after weeks of speculation
He'll become the fourth host of the long-running show, following in the footsteps of Gay Byrne, Pat Kenny and Tubridy.
Tubridy will also step down from hosting The Late Late Toy Show, which has raised millions for children’s charities across the island of Ireland. However, he will continue to present his RTE radio show on weekday mornings.
Kielty, from Dundrum, says he’s been overwhelmed by all the messages he’s received since RTE confirmed the news at the weekend, ending weeks of speculation.
“To everyone who’s got in touch, I can’t thank you enough,” he said.
“I’m really looking forward to getting started now - and to changing my number when the requests for The Toy Show tickets start!”
The Toy Show was the most-watched programme on Irish TV last year, with over 1.6 million viewers.
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