Ryan Tubridy reckons that this year's Late Late Toy Show "is going to be very important, for a number of reasons".
The Late Late Show returns to its usual Friday night slot on RTÉ One on September 2 - but already Ryan and the gang are on the go in terms of this year’s pre-Christmas special.
Long-established as the most popular TV show in Ireland, the annual Toy Show has gone from strength to strength and each year seems to outdo its predecessors.
At the RTÉ Autumn Launch in Dublin’s RDS, Tubs was straight out of the traps in terms of how he sees this year’s event. "The Toy Show 2022 is going to be very important, for a number of reasons," he insists.
"I think people are going to be suffering economically, and they’re going to need the most beautiful and enormous hug, as a family on the couch.
"I think they’re going to be worried about their kids in terms of affordability, whether that’s toys or clothes or shopping and food. It’s going to be a tough time.
"So, what do we do? We respond by reflecting people’s needs back. I think our watchwords will be nostalgia, Christmas, family, love, joy - not the TV show! There’s a comma in there! - and a sense of community."
And while the Toy Show is primarily that - a toy show - it’s become a lot more over the years, what with the musical input, the now standard practice of having a themed night.
As is obvious, from the elaborate staging to the variety of activities that are crammed into the night, a lot of work goes into getting those two hours nailed down and all set for the big night.
"It’s going to be very important to get it right," Ryan says. "I’ve met the team, we’ve picked the theme, we’ve picked the two songs I’m going to have to sing, and try to dance to. So it’s all in train.
"And it is intense, and it’s insane, and it’s magical. So that’s what’s happening."
The Late Late Show is beginning its 61st season and retains its position as the ultimate success story of Irish television, since it debuted back in the black and white days of the early 1960s.
Ryan Tubridy is just the third person to host the show - following in the footsteps of Gay Byrne and Pat Kenny - and he’s facing into a personal milestone as next year he turns 50.
But he hasn’t felt a compunction to compile the proverbial bucket list that many people consider when they reach that often pivotal stage of their lives.
When asked about the subject of a bucket list, he grinned and said: "Well, I hope I don’t kick it!
"No, no - I’m fine. I’ve had a lovely summer, a great holiday, and I’ll be 50 next May. It does weight on your mind, I’m not going to pretend, but not in a negative way. Thank goodness.
"40 was a bit urgh! - try writing that word - but 50 is a different prospect altogether, because you stop giving a damn, really, about what people think of you, you don’t really take on board bullshit, and you just live your life as you want it.
"As long as you’re kind, and civil. Both of those things."
50, of course, is just a number. But Ryan is both looking back and looking forward as he reaches the half-century mark.
"I’ve achieved a lot in my life, I’ve led a very charmed existence," he says. "I’ve been very fortunate - so I’m open to new ideas. I’m ready."
