THIS YEAR’S Late Late Toy Show was the most-watched television show in Ireland in 17 years – with more than 1.4 million Irish viewers.
An average of 1,414,000 people watched Friday’s show, which inspired by the film Toy Story.
More than 130 children participated in this year’s spectacle, taking part in performances and demonstrations with host Ryan Tubridy.
Viewers’ highlights included toy tester Sean O’Connor, 6, who impressed the audience with his performance of Highway to Hell – not to mention nine-year-old Ashley Tubridy who performed “Forever Friends”, a song she wrote herself …
Tubridy said: “I’m genuinely taken aback by the number of viewers on Friday night. Full credit to all the children, who are the real stars of the show alongside a broken kitchenette and a dirty nappy.
“But particular credit must go to the production team who worked so hard to make the show such a success. I think the country needed to smile and I hope we made that happen on Friday night.”
The Toy Show is now the number one ranking show of the year across all channels in Ireland – even beating the Taoiseach address to the nation on Sunday night, which attracted an average audience of 1,199,000.
The Eurovision Final, which took place last May, was Ireland’s third-favourite show this year with an average audience of 1,174,000 viewers.