Fifty years after it began as "an accidental hit" in 1975, the Late Late Toy Show has become a bit of a TV monster. It's watched by millions all over the world and marks the "official start" of Christmas in Ireland.
So Santa hats off to Patrick Kielty for making what is a long-established TV institution such a warm, intimate and very, very Irish affair. Now in his third year as MC, the Co Down man delivered again on Friday night with a mix of laughs, tears and quite a few surprises.
Watch: A suitably epic start to The Late Late Toy Show
He pulled a Christmas cracker, and he also pulled out all the stops, but, as always, this was a night for the kids and the big kids watching at home. As a television event, the Toy Show is a well-oiled machine, planned for months in advance and rehearsed to military precision, but it still manages to magic up a seat-of-the-pants unpredictability and anarchy for the viewing public.
This year, we got Roy Keane, who appeared out of nowhere and left ten-year-olds Keelan and Dylan, and the audience, who broke into chants of "Keano! Keano!", frankly stunned. Irish band of the year Kingfishr also appeared, and there were video messages from singer Lewis Capaldi and golfer Shane Lowry, which maybe did not have the same seasonal lustre as Queen of Christmas Mariah Carey, who popped up on a video last year, but certainly warmed a lot of Christmas chestnuts.
And, yes, that was Liam Neeson narrating the pre-recorded intro.
The frankly adorable County Parade was another highlight as kids from all 32 counties of Ireland zoomed, scooted, skated (while playing the tin whistle), pony-cycle unicorned (I want one!), and juggled across Studio 4. Great craic.
Watch: The County Parade
Father of two young boys, Kielty was totally at ease and more than willing to make pratfalls and a prat of himself. He got gunked during a demo of secret agent kit and took a tumble down a mat. With irrepressible energy and winks at the camera, Kielty was, as ever, a pro.
The opening song and dance number was to Elton John's Step into Christmas (memorably once covered by The Wedding Present) and there was plenty more music throughout the night, including a rousing rendition of Killeagh, the most listened to song in Ireland this year on Spotify, by Kingfishr, which saw the kids joined by the band itself.
Our first toy tester of the night was six-year-old Declan from Cork, who made a bold arrival on set astride an inflatable dinosaur. He is dino mad and introduced us to some baby dinos hatching under the watchful eye of their mama, Dolores. Asked what he loved about dinosaurs, he said, "They are very cool… they are just very cool." Wise lad.
There was also Pitch and Potty, a golfing game that involved chipping golf balls into a toilet. As golf fan Declan explained, it was that or using his mother's washing machine for practice. Very wise lad. He also delivered the line of the evening when he presented Patrick with a plastic poo and quipped, "When you're feeling down, you can cuddle up with your Christmas poo and think of me."
Next, PK donned a black hat, specs and a fake nose to play a secret agent but actually ended up looking more like Walter White/Heisenberg in Breaking Bad. He was joined by eight-year-old Lauren from Dublin, who loved spy toys, to talk us through a secret agent kit that came in a briefcase.
But the item we might be talking about in years to come starred besties Keelan and Dylan, both ten and from Dublin. The lads gave us some lessons in friendship and kindness before they demonstrated a bewildering game that involved naming vegetables.
Watch: Dylan and Keelan got a huge surprise from Lewis Capaldi
Lewis Capaldi sent a video message from Australia, where he was on tour, got a plug in for his Marlay Park show next year and invited Keelan and Dylan along. In a moment that probably broke hearts worldwide, the lads then shared a tissue to wipe away their tears.
But that was not all - the next thing you knew, Roy Keane wandered on set to give the lads a pep talk before they were hoisted high into the rafters of Studio 4 to play a high-flying game of Jenga to win presents for kids in hospitals all over Ireland. It was a night that these two besties will never forget.
Next up were Aoife and Tara from Cork with hardy perennial Sylvanian Families. They were also camogie players from a very GAA family with six All-Ireland medals in total.
Seven-year-old Shay Shay (so good they named him twice), who was a bit of a prankster, showed us Stuntman Stu, essentially an updated version of Evel Knievel. Niall from Donegal was a fan of Minecraft and came on with real-life swords and Patrick dressed as a Chicken Jockey, which led to Steve's Lava Chicken song in one of the most surreal moments of the night.
Watch: CMAT surprised the Toy Show after her 3Arena gig
The 53 members of the Virgin Mary Girls' National School Choir in Ballymun, who thought they hadn't made the cut with their audition tape, got the surprise of their lives when an RTÉ camera crew gatecrashed their Toy Show viewing party live on air. Patrick invited them into the studio and they arrived at the show's finale to sing CMAT's Stay for Something - and then arrived the woman herself, fresh from the stage of the 3Arena. The kids went nuts.
Of such moments, the Toy Show is made.
By the end of the night, the Toy Show Appeal had raised over €4 million, the kids ruled the show, Kielty didn't break any of the toys and he truly deserved his post-show Green Room G&T.
It really was the sweetest and cutest night of the year.
