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 ...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
08/09/2026
Built for rap producers, by rap producers
Sauceware Audio, the independent plug-in company founded by Grammy-nominated producer Jacob (Travis Scott, 21 Sava...
08/09/2026
Classic Sound Techniques design revived
Warm Audio's latest release delivers a meticulous recreation of the preamp circuitry employed by the Sound Techn...
08/09/2026
Latest soft synth inspired by the Memorymoog
XILS Lab have just launched a software instrument that draws its inspiration from Moog's iconic Memorymoog,...
08/09/2026
Tuesday 8 September 2026
Sky Go gets a major upgrade for Sky Glass and Sky Stream customers
Today, Sky launches a new version of the Sky Go app for Sky Glass ...
08/09/2026
Documentary thriller simulating a Russian attack on UK soil will culminate in a live final episode reuniting the playersTuesday 8 September 2026
Trailer releas...
08/09/2026
Tuesday 8 September 2026
Jamie Demetriou and Amelia Dimoldenberg to host next t...
08/09/2026
Wuppertal September 8, 2026
Riedel Introduces New OnAir Headset PlatformRiedel Communications today announced the launch of its new OnAir headset platform, a...
08/09/2026
BERLIN, September 8, 2026 - J nger Audio will introduce a major expansion of its flexAI audio processing platform at IBC 2026. The flexAI system adds autonomous...
08/09/2026
New Vendor-Agnostic Broadband Intelligence Fabric Reduces Operational Complexity and Improves Service Quality for Broadband Service Providers SAN JOSE, Calif. -...
08/09/2026
Arvato Systems Brings TI Expertise to the Stage
Panels, workshops, and real-world examples at the TI-SUMMIT 2026
Arvato Systems, a partner of the TI-SUMMIT 2...
08/09/2026
On October 1, Apple Arcade is rolling out a lineup of fun new games for players ...
07/09/2026
Two new full-range, flat-response cabinets introduced
HeadRush have recently introduced a pair of new full-range, flat-response cabinets designed for player...
07/09/2026
Answering questions about AI in game audio
GameSoundCon, the largest professional conference for video game music and sound design, have announced that they...
07/09/2026
New directional headset mic on show at IBC
Just ahead of this week's IBC show, DPA have announced the launch of a new directional headset that's bee...
07/09/2026
We are not building systems to replace human decision-making; we are building systems that execute our decisions at machine speed. The media companies that win ...
07/09/2026
Monday 7 September 2026
Freddie Meredith joins cast of SNL UK ahead of start of Season 2
Freddie Meredith Images
ZIP (3MB)
Saturday Night Live UK announces ...
07/09/2026
Monday 7 September 2026
Sky and NFTS team up to launch new routes into screen careers
Sky has today announced a new apprenticeship programme, with application...
07/09/2026
Monday 7 September 2026
Sky Sports announces most comprehensive NFL coverage to...
07/09/2026
Dolby, MainConcept, Techex and J nger Audio will showcase the industry's first demonstration of Serial Audio Definition Model (S-ADM) in a cloud-based produ...
07/09/2026
dB Broadcast will showcase APIS Hive, its software platform for designing, deploying and managing modern broadcast infrastructures, at IBC 2026.
Developed from...
07/09/2026
552,000 streams on RT Player
The historic fight, which saw Katie Taylor become...
06/09/2026
Recreates Rolands TB-303 & MC-202
BS-203 MacroAcidizer is the first virtual instrument from Born Second, and it offers a recreation of two Roland classics -...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
05/09/2026
MK2 & Bass system control app improved
HEDD Audio have just launched a new and improved version of the control software that pairs with their MK2 and Bass m...
04/09/2026
Media organisations interested in the Media Innovation Europe 3.0 Business Innovation Synergizer (BIS) can now consult a new FAQ document providing additional a...
04/09/2026
Powerful new soft synth announced
Traveler is the first software instrument to be released by KeySolutions Sounds, and it's an ambitious one! Said to co...
04/09/2026
Free virtual instrument range expanded
The latest expansion of e-instruments' free Fragments series introduces a packed-down version of the company'...
04/09/2026
Company recognised for second time
Two years after winning an Engineering, Science & Technology Emmy Award for dxRevive Pro, Accentize have been recognised ...
04/09/2026
Bilbao - 3rd September 2026 -AgileTV, a leading provider of end-to-end TV and vi...
04/09/2026
RT ANNOUNCE NEW DRAMA THE MURDER OF MR. MOONLIGHT
BASED ON THE DISAPPEARANCE...
03/09/2026
Yospace will be at IBC from 11th - 14th September (booth 5.C78). For more inform...
03/09/2026
Create musical synth bass sounds from scratch
Anthony Marinelli Music have recently announced the launch of Bass DNA, a new online course that teaches music...
03/09/2026
Most powerful Tonex hardware to date
IK Multimedia's latest release introduces their most advanced Tonex hardware unit to date, combining their AI Machi...
03/09/2026
Upmix & downmix software upgraded
Penteo Audio Plugins have announced that the latest version of their powerful upmix and downmix software is now available....
03/09/2026
With the start of the new apprenticeship year, young talent has once again begun their professional careers at SGL Carbon's sites in Germany. Recently, the ...
03/09/2026
With the industry increasingly embracing hybrid, software-defined production models, Calrec will preview a series of Argo and ImPulseV software enhancements at ...
03/09/2026
Thursday 3 September 2026
Jeff Goldblum announced as host of Saturday Night Liv...
03/09/2026
Wuppertal September 3, 2026
Gonshiro Strengthens Collaboration With Riedel, AR...
03/09/2026
Comscore Expands Its AI Intelligence to Measure Sponsored Chat Advertising and I...
03/09/2026
First Class Takes is a new six-part series for RT KIDS that captures funny, hon...
02/09/2026
Combines the Phat Drive with high-voltage valve circuit
The latest pedal from Keeley Electronics combines their popular Phat Mode drive pedal with an all-ne...
02/09/2026
Free version of virtual mixing room plug-in introduced
Lewitt's Space Replicator plug-in provides users with a virtual monitoring environment that aims ...
02/09/2026
Two new mixing & mastering plug-ins revealed
AIR Music Tech have just introduced the Stereophonic Bundle, a pair of processing plug-ins designed to provide ...
02/09/2026
Rohde & Schwarz has achieved initial verification of 3GPP Rel. 17 power-saving f...
02/09/2026
Bilbao - 3rd September 2026 -AgileTV, a leading provider of end-to-end TV and vi...
02/09/2026
Why agentic media supply chains need experience design built around visibility, reversibility and human authority
When AI can generate a functional interface ...
02/09/2026
Wednesday 2 September 2026
Sky News revamps Sunday morning show with rotating l...
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.
