Last Friday night's Late Late Show had its highest audience of the year so far with 740,000 people enjoying performances from Irish country icons Big Tom, Daniel O'Donnell and new kid Nathan Carter.
The show attracted an audience share of 52% with over a half of all Irish viewers watching television at that time tuning in to watch The Late Late Show in its entirety. The total audience reached over the course of the show was 1.3 million.
Big Tom makes a rare TV appearance
The show, which also featured interviews with Ireland rugby coach Joe Schmidt and Brooklyn star Saoirse Ronan, has also proved very popular on the RTÉ Player with almost 30,000 streams since Friday, making it the strongest episode of the Late Late since its return in September. There were 6,300 live streams on Friday night alone, the highest volume of live streams per episode this series.
It turned out that famous dancer Daniel O'Donnell can sing too
Host Ryan Tubridy said: “We knew that country is huge when we decided to have this special, so it’s no surprise to us that so many people tuned in on Friday night. It was truly one of the most enjoyable Late Late Show’s I’ve ever presented and the reaction to Big Tom’s appearance, and that very special performance of Four Country Roads, was something to remember”.
RTÉ One also keeps it country with Stetsons and Stilettos, which starts this Sunday, November 1 at 7.30pm. In this revealing series, we discover the world of Irish country and its fans, join the scene’s biggest star Nathan Carter on the road in the run up to his biggest ever gig, and attend a wedding with a difference when Dervla Burke from Crystal Swing customises her very own country-themed wedding.
The full episode of The Late Late Show country special can be viewed on the RTÉ Player here.
Big Tom & Friends - Four Country Roads
