Ryan Tubridy has announced that he is stepping down as host of The Late Late Show after 14 years at the helm of the poplar talk show.
Tubs succeeded Pat Kenny who announced he was stepping down live on air in March 2009 after 10 years of fronting The Late Late Show. On 11 May that year, RTE officially announced Ryan Tubridy as Kenny's successor.
It's been a wild journey for Dublin native Tubridy, who has memorably brought much life and joy to the beloved Late Late Show and the Late Late Toy Show. We look back Tubs' most memorable, heart-melting and hilariously bizarre moments on The Late Late Show and Late Late Toy Show over the last 14 years.
Read more: Ryan Tubridy to step down from Late Late Show
Ryan Tubridy's first Late Late Show interview with then Taoiseach Brian Cowen
In September 2009, Ryan Tubridy made his debut on The Late Late Show with an impressive 1.6 million viewers tuning in to watch him interview then Taoiseach Brian Cowen. The former Fianna Fail leader was in the hot seat as Tubridy pressed him on his role as Taoiseach and plans for the Government and the country amid the post-2008 economic downturn.
Also on the same show, Tubs chatted to singer Brian McFadden about his solo career and family life after his separation from Kerry Katona. Ultimately, Late Late Show fans praised Ryan Tubridy in his debut on the show and many praised his "fresh" interviewing skills and compassion.
First Late Late Toy Show with JohnJoe Brennan
When Ryan Tubridy took over his first ever Late Late Toy Show, it was clear that he was determined to give the kids on the show a good time. In 2009, budding horologist JohnJoe Brennan from Roscommon captivated the audience and stole the nation's hearts with his eloquent way with words and his love for clocks.
During the show, JohnJoe was one of the show's special readers where he was asked to review James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl. After giving his verdict on the classic children's book, John-Joe then demonstrated his real talent, horology and examined Tubridy's watch.
JohnJoe said: "It's a very good mark, I suppose. Next to Rolex. Yes, it will last - if you keep it clean, as I said at the time."
Heartfelt tribute to Gerry Ryan
On 30 April 2010, RTE broadcasting legend Gerry Ryan unexpectedly passed away and the nation mourned the loss of the beloved presenter.
On that week's Late Late Show, Ryan Tubridy paid tribute to his colleague in a moving speech. He said: "The country has lost a great broadcaster and I have lost a great friend", and he also compared the RTE radio centre to "Hamlet without the prince".
Tributes on the show also came from Gay Byrne, Pat Kenny, Joe Duffy, Dave Fanning, and more.
Chat with Irish activist Joanne O'Riordan
In 2011, Tubs was delighted to welcome in studio Cork native Joanne O'Riordan. Joanne. Joanne was just 15 years old at the time, but she chatted cheerfully to the impressed Tubridy and her great sense of humour won him over as well as everybody at home.
In future interviews, Ryan regularly cites Joanne as one of his all-time favourite guests to ever have on the show.
Francis Brennan battles a duvet
In 2015, hotelier Francis Brennan was welcomed onto the show. When asked to showcase his handy duvet trick, however, the At Your Service star got hilariously muddled to the amusement of the audience.
Tubs and an audience member soon helped Francis get out of the tricky situation, but it was downright gas altogether.
Ryan Tubridy gets a coronavirus test
When Ireland went into shutdown in March 2020, Ryan Tubridy was determined to keep the show on the road despite the Covid-19 pandemic. He hosted the Late Late throughout the pandemic, helping to keep the nations' spirits up.
While there was no in-studio audience, Tubs held a captive audience at home and he gave a stand-out moment in the show when was when he took a coronavirus test live in studio, at a time most of us were unaware of how they were carried out.
As viewers watched at home, a tester gave Tubs a nose and throat swab. Tubridy told viewers: "It’s normal to feel scared. It’s perfectly normal to feel lonely, but you’re not alone.”
Adam King's Virtual Hug on The Late Late Toy Show
In 2020, during the Covid-19 pandemic the country's spirits were lifted by Late Late Toy Show star Adam King and his virtual "hug for you."
From the moment he appeared on screen as a toy tester, the audience and Tubridy were one over by the youngster's positive outlook on life as he battled a brittle bone condition called Osteogenesis imperfecta. Adam also told Tubs that it was his dream to become a CAPCOM for Nasa.
As the country was under strict Covid-19 restrictions at the time, King held up a picture of a heart that read ‘a hug for you’ as he could not physically hug the presenter. The Cork native and Tubridy quickly became firm friends, and Adam has since appeared on the chat show several times since their meeting.
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