Tonight's top New Year’s Eve TV includes Kathryn Thomas and Deirdre O' Kane hosting the NYE Countdown Show, there’s a Mrs Brown's Boys New Year Special, and Jools Holland’s annual Hootenanny . . .
NYE Countdown Show, 10.45pm, RTÉ One
Kathryn Thomas and Deirdre O' Kane front a celebration of homegrown talent from Dublin's famed Gaiety Theatre.
Sharon Shannon and her band will be the house band for the evening, Jerry Fish will bring his unique energy to the stage and Mary Coughlan will give a soulful solo performance as well as a special duet with Brian Kennedy.
Kathryn and Deirdre will also be catching up with comedian Jason Byrne, RTÉ’s GAA Correspondent Marty Morrissey, Senator Lynn Ruane, and RTÉ Radio 1 presenter Sarah McInerney. They will talk about how this year will go down in history and their wishes for 2021.
Preceded at 9.45pm by Soundtrack to My Life, where the RTÉ Concert Orchestra plays a selection of cracking hits and familiar floor-fillers, with Kodaline and some very special guests, including Jack L, Loah and others.
Mrs Brown's Boys New Year Special, 9.10pm, RTÉ One
The second of two festive specials from Brendan O’Carroll and co, which have become a much-loved staple of the nation’s Christmas/New Year TV viewing.
This time around, poor Winnie has not been sleeping too well, and wants to tell Agnes all about her dreams. Meanwhile, Cathy has a significant birthday coming up.
While the show has its detractors, the reality is that it has many admirers. So much so, Mrs Brown's Boys has been renewed until 2026. By then, Brendan O’Carroll will be in his early 70s!
The Big New Year’s In, 9.00pm, BBC One
Paddy McGuinness (above) hosts a star-studded party as he starts the countdown to 2021 in his own inimitable style.
A galaxy of stars join Paddy to wave goodbye to an extraordinary year. It's a live extravaganza of fun, music, games and surprises, and viewers will be invited to play along in a hilarious quiz of 2020 from the comfort of their sofas.
Followed at 10.25pm by The Graham Norton Show (11.40pm on Virgin Media One), with a line-up that includes Hollywood stars Tom Hanks (below), Emily Blunt and Jamie Dornan, food writer Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, comedian Nish Kumar, and Jessica Chastain.
Jools’ Hootenanny, 11.15pm, BBC Two
Joining Jools and his orchestra in the studio this year are Celeste, Tom Jones, Michael Kiwanuka (below), Roisin Murphy, Rick Wakeman, Ruby Turner, Chris Difford, and the Pipes and Hootenanny regulars, the Drums of the 1st Batallion Scots Guards.
Jools also takes a look back at some of the most memorable Hootenanny performances from the archive, including the likes of Jamiroquai, Rudimental and Ella Eyre, Madness, ABC and Aloe Blacc, promising a musical celebration with a nostalgic nod to the past, a warm welcome to the year ahead and plenty of bangers.
The Last Leg of the Year 2020, 9.00pm, Channel 4
The quadruple BAFTA-nominated entertainment series is supersized this New Year's Eve, with an extra-special two-hour extravaganza to say goodbye - and good riddance - to 2020.
Joining Adam Hills, Josh Widdicombe and Alex Brooker for the end-of-year fun are special guests Tom Allen, Lorraine Kelly, James Acaster, Judi Love, Clara Amfo and Asim Chaudhry.
House band Alex Horne and The Horne Section will provide the musical entertainment.
See here for TV listings
