Once the leaves start to change, children all over Ireland begin dreaming of that great bastion of Irish culture, The Late Late Toy Show. Cancel any plans you have for November 30th, throw a log on the fire, put on your best fleecy pjs/Christmas jumper and settle in as dreams come to life – and DON'T forget the hot cocoa.
Of course, there's oodles of work to be done in the run-up to the big day and a man who knows just how true this is is Stuart O'Connor, producer extraordinaire and "the man who tries to make me move," says Ryan. "The biggest hassle is trying to choreograph Ryan Tubridy, he's as hyper as the kids," Stuart was caught by Ryan saying in a recent interview, and he totally agreed.
An essential part of any good toy show is the plethora of performers who eagerly audition hoping for their moment in the greatest spotlight the country has to offer and guaranteed bragging rights for life. Stuart and his team waded through an ocean of audition tapes and are in the process of auditioning singers, dancers, actors and everything in between. He has seen lots of trad he says, plenty of Abba hits, hundreds of George Ezra covers and songs from The Greatest Showman and A Star is Born have featured heavily.
"I think every year we always go, it's the biggest opening, it's the biggest talent, but genuinely this year I think obviously the opening is a really, really special opening for both of us and for everybody and it's a big deal."
Click here to listen to Stuart's interview in full.