The last broadcast: Kenny presents his final ‘Late Late’ tonight
IN RTÉ yesterday, Pat Kenny anticipated the end tonight of his career as host of the Late Late Show. After 10 years in the seat of the country’s foremost chat show, Kenny said he would be “out of there already” if he could.
The programme will air for the last time with Kenny tonight; after the summer break, presenter Ryan Tubridy will take the seat. “I wouldn’t trade any of it, but I think the time was right for change.”
The show, he said, had provided a kaleidoscope of memories, including having Dr Ian Paisley and his wife Eileen as guests. “Meeting Paul Newman was one of my great ambitions and meeting golfer Jack Nicklaus was like meeting God,” he said.
Although his interview with Danish actress Brigitte Nielsen was cringingly embarrassing, the showman in him knew no one would be switching off.
Asked if there was anything he wished he hadn’t done, despite having no regrets, he said “maybe a couple of boring things”. He was not nice enough to some guests and not hard enough on others, including “just about every politician that walked in the door”.
“Knowing what we know now about what was going on . . . that’s a regret, that I wasn’t as perceptive as I might have been . . . I didn’t pursue it vigorously enough.”
