Late Late Show trailer introduces Patrick Kielty, and brings back the owl

The trailer for the return of the nation’s Friday night romp has dropped.

After a summer where the phrase “Late Late Show” was hardly uttered without a mention of the RTÉ payment scandal or “Tubridy is toast”, the country has now been formally introduced to the talkshow’s new host in this big-budget trailer. Perhaps the new show will even allow us all to move on from that debacle.

Instead of any Avengers or Michael Bay-style teaser, the RTÉ overlords have gone with a simpler strategy: bring back the owl. Hoot hoot!

A few weeks back, a new logo for the show appeared – with no sign of our feathered friend. But worry not, Gabriel (named after the show’s first presenter, Gay Byrne) is back.

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The show is “landing” on September 15th, when – if the trailer is anything to go by – Gabriel and Patrick Kielty will engage in some sort of neck-bending cage match. It features warm-up stretches from Gabriel to a marching drumbeat, which are then mirrored by Kielty. The bird flaps its feathers. Kielty puts on a navy jacket. A loosening of the bird’s neck. A crack of Kielty’s. The Late Late Show House Band chimes in with the show’s thumping theme tune. A turn of Gabriel’s head to eyeball the camera. And then ...

You can’t remove the image of Patrick Kielty’s head spinning 180 degrees into a weird, smiley staring competition. Perhaps RTÉ is kite-flying a new horror segment for the show? Nightmarish if you ask me.

It grabs your attention anyway and in a better way than the folks at RTÉ have been doing in Oireachtas committees in recent months.

[ Late Late Show trims its broadcast slot to 90 minutes ]

I just hope the bird will be perched next to Kielty at all times like a quiet warden, ensuring no matter how comfortable the host gets in that chair, he remains solely a steward for what was once – and may still be – the country’s biggest talkshow.