The theme of this year's Late Late Toy Show has been revealed as host Ryan Tubridy and a tribe of young performers and toy testers get ready to go wild for the biggest night on the TV calendar.
After a year where children were restricted in play and socialising with their friends, they will get a very special invitation to step into the sun as the theme of this year's Late Late Toy Show takes inspiration from the Disney classic, The Lion King. The night looks set to live the Hakuna Matata no worries' philosophy with children ruling the jungle in the studio and at home, for the most exciting TV event of the year.
The toy testers and performers will flock from all corners of Ireland, with the youngest cub aged just four years old, as they prepare for the most magical of nights.
As always, Ryan and The Late Late Toy Show elves will have a few surprise delicacies up their sleeves that will be sure to make you roar! There's more to see than can ever be seen, as they have been on the pulse of the latest and greatest, and hottest new toys in the kingdom. We hear whispers that Fidgets, Pop-its and a Labradoodle called Moji are among the top toys on this year's toy list.
Ryan Tubridy said: Everyone has been locked up for a long time and that's why we need to head out into the wild and join our friends in The Lion King. This isn't just a theme; it is a movement. Every child can leave the house and leave the room and leave the kitchen and roam free in the jungle of their families because they are the boss tonight. So, it is the future, it is wild, and it is beautiful. Join us in the jungle, we will see you tonight.
It's a problem-free philosophy, the show will feature not one, but two musical performances from Ryan.
This year's magical Lion King inspired set was created by the RT production Design Department, led by Marcella Power. RT 's Costume and Make-Up departments, with costume led by Brigette Horan, have also been busily prepping the cast ahead of Friday's extravaganza. The show is produced and guided into the light by Hilary Jones and Kate Olohan and directed by Alan Byrne.
Brigette Horan, Head of RTE Costume Department said: Viewers can expect a magical fun-filled Toy Show with wonderful children wearing magical costumes. The vision and thought process behind this year's designs by costume designer Stacey Gallagher and the Costume Design Team was to dramatically create nature at its best, bursting with colour and texture and delivering costume structures that will move effortlessly and comfortably for the children to perform and depict the characters. Enjoy the magic.
The Toy Show Appeal
The Toy Show Appeal is back for its second year running, which last year raised a staggering 6.6mn of much-needed funds for Irish charities where an estimated 635,690 children and their families will benefit from a huge variety of different support organisations.
Donations can be made via www.rte.ie/toyshowappeal and we are pleased to this year to welcome proceeds through the Donations tab on the Revolut app which will go live on the night.
RT Player
Watch Free Worldwide
For many lions and lionesses at home, both big and small, it has now become an annual family tradition to nestle around the television where the nation comes together to create new memories and have no worries as The Late Late Toy Show 2021 kicks off festive cheer tonight. Last year, our global audience tuned in from over 100 countries to watch the spectacle including Irish hot spots like London, New York, Boston, Dubai and Sydney.
So, no matter who you are, which country you are from, experience the love tonight for free on RT One & RT Player at 9:35 pm, where everyone is invited.
This year we will have Amanda Coogan, Aisling Dragoi and Sarah Jane O'Regan presenting The Late Late Toy Show live with Irish Sign Language (ISL) on the RT News channel and RT Player. The Late Late Toy Show ISL will be available for catch-up after the live broadcast.
Audio Description (AD) will also be available for the repeat on Monday night, and catch-up on RT Player after the repeat. A fully accessible version (with subtitles, ISL and AD) will be broadcast on Wednesday 1st December, which will also be available on catch-up.
RT Social Media
The Late Late Toy Show excitement kicks off live on social media tonight with up-to-the-minute backstage updates and the biggest moments from the show on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok. To join in the fun follow #LateLateToyShow #TotallyWorthit, @LateLateRTE on Instagram, @RTELateLateShow on Twitter, @TheLateLateShow on Facebook and @latelaterte on TikTok.
Irish TikTok sensation Miriam Mullins will bring viewers on an exclusive behind the scenes look on TikTok at the final preparations for this year's show as Ryan and his jungle friends get ready to go live as the nation comes together.
Europe Stories
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
02/06/2026
Musically intelligent soft synth gets upgraded
Scaler Music will be probably be best known to many for their music theory tools, but their product range al...
02/06/2026
Powerful new vocal-production tool announced
Described as a vocal performance station , Klevgrand's latest plug-in combines pitch-correction with harmo...
02/06/2026
Launched alongside Go Green sale extension
McDSP have just released the latest addition to their APB line-up, DC-2 Dual Compressor, and have also announced ...
02/06/2026
Create custom tools for Ableton Live 12 Suite
Ableton have just introduced a new open JavaScript toolkit that allows anyone to create their own custom tools...
02/06/2026
Now features full H90 algorithm library
Eventide have announced the upcoming launch of the H9 Harmonizer Gen 2, a new and improved version of their hugely p...
02/06/2026
Plus UAD Half Yearly Sale now live
The latest arrival to the Universal Audio range delivers a new native pitch-correction plug-in that's capable of deli...
02/06/2026
Rohde & Schwarz to present comprehensive performance, conformance and spectrum-m...
02/06/2026
BTL Laboratory becomes Taiwan's first test house with a CTIA Certification c...
02/06/2026
If you've kept up with this article series, you know by now where to start w...
02/06/2026
With new DSP configurations and flexible licensing options, Calrec is removing the barriers to virtualised audio, giving broadcasters the freedom to scale produ...
02/06/2026
02 Jun 2026
VEON Closes USD 1.4 Billion Bond Offering, Refinancing 2027 Notes A...
02/06/2026
Praise for series three:
The Times - sun-dappled pleasure
The Daily Mail - The Homes Counties' Charlie's Angels
The Sun - 4* this [is an] enjoya...
02/06/2026
Wuppertal June 2, 2026
Gudrun Scharler Appointed CEO of Riedel Networks The Riedel Group today announced the appointment of Gudrun Scharler as CEO of Riedel N...
02/06/2026
Trust has become a commercial issue With global advertising spend forecast to exceed US$1 trillion this year*, the commercial consequences of weak governance co...
02/06/2026
June sees Ireland's cultural calendar in full bloom, as RT Supporting the Arts showcases a vibrant and wide-ranging programme spanning music, theatre, visu...
02/06/2026
After The Traitors Ireland launched in 2025, Irish audiences proved to have a taste for the global hit reality show. This Bank Holiday Monday fans can indulge e...
01/06/2026
Category line-up & sponsors announced
Photo: Paul Clarke
The Production Music Awards (PMA) have announced that submissions are now officially open ahead of...
01/06/2026
New hybrid sample/synthesis instrument revealed
Excite Audio have just released the latest instalment in their Evolve series, which has been developed in co...
01/06/2026
Latest TONEX expansion captures three rare vintage amps
The newest addition to IK Multimedia's ever-growing TONEX line-up introduces a set of three incr...
01/06/2026
Musically intelligent soft synth gets upgraded
Scaler Music will be probably be best known to many for their music theory tools, but their product range al...
01/06/2026
Rohde & Schwarz Satellite Industry Days 2026 guided by the motto From Earth to ...
01/06/2026
Luxembourg, June 1, 2026 - SES, a leading space solutions company, and Viva, Mexico's ultra low-cost airline, launched fast and reliable multi-orbit satelli...
01/06/2026
Mardi 2 juin 14h00
FilmLight (ARRI), 10 rue Ren Boulanger, 75010 Paris
Rejoignez-nous pour d couvrir comment FLAPI (l'API FilmLight) peut transformer e...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
29/05/2026
The days are getting longer, the temperatures are rising, and playlists are filling up for the season. With summer around the corner, Spotify's global edito...
29/05/2026
New retro-inspired MPC announced
There are few devices that have gained the status held by Akai Pro's MPC range, and in recent years, the company have s...
29/05/2026
Save up to 30 on acclaimed titles
Following a successful launch at Superbooth 2026, Bjooks have revealed that they will be continuing the Kickstarter campa...
29/05/2026
Binaural monitoring application improved
Genelec have just released an update that brings some powerful new features to their HRTF-based binaural headphone ...
29/05/2026
6 June 2026 at SAE Institute, London, UK
IMSTA FESTA 2026 is almost upon us, with some of the biggest names in pro-audio set to descend upon SAE Institute i...
29/05/2026
cetecom advanced certifies Rohde & Schwarz test solution for hybrid and Next Gen...
29/05/2026
May 29 2026, 09:00 (PDT) Dolby and rednote Bring More Immersive Storytelling to...
29/05/2026
Youtube exclusive special drops today
Watch now
UKTV today announces another e...
29/05/2026
Genelec announces V2.1 for Aural ID binaural headphone monitoring application posted: 29/05/2026
Aural ID 2.1 enhances binaural monitoring for stereo and ...
29/05/2026
At just 20 years old, Sean Melia from Summerhill Co. Meath has been revealed as the winner of Super Garden 2026. Sean is the youngest ever contestant and winner...
28/05/2026
Thomsons Climate Crisis Toolkit is already being put to work, helping journalist...
28/05/2026
A little refresh can go a long way. We've been making behind-the-scenes upda...
28/05/2026
Since early last year, our quarterly Creator Milestone Awards have celebrated podcasts from around the world that hit major streaming milestones on Spotify. Tod...
28/05/2026
New software-based MIDI multi-clock announced
Rapid Flow have just announced the launch of a new MIDI utility plug-in that aims to solve one of the most per...
28/05/2026
Company introduce most affordable interface yet
SSL's range of audio interfaces has just gained its latest, and smallest member, the SSL 1. Designed to ...
28/05/2026
New compact drum machine & sampler announced
The latest instrument from Sonicware sees the company kick off an all-new Deconstruct series with a compact dru...
28/05/2026
Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority modernizes nationwide ATC voice communications...
28/05/2026
Comscore Announces Appointment of Matt McLaughlin as Chief Executive OfficerJon Carpenter to remain as Senior Advisor to the Board and CEO
Global business lead...
28/05/2026
Wuppertal May 28, 2026
Berliner Ensemble Upgrades Backstage Infrastructure With Riedel Stage SystemsRiedel Communications today announced that Berliner Ensemb...
28/05/2026
Harmonic's Software-Based XOS Advanced Media Processor Powers Cost-Efficient 24/7 Channel Origination and Direct-to-Consumer Delivery
SAN JOSE, Calif. - M...
28/05/2026
RT presents Wild Conamara, a two-part natural history documentary that brings a...
27/05/2026
Spotify already brings together listeners' favorite music, podcasts, and audiobooks in one place. Now, we're trialing a new format that expands the cont...
The theme of this year's Late Late Toy Show has been revealed as host Ryan Tubridy and a tribe of young performers and toy testers get ready to go wild for the biggest night on the TV calendar.
