Composer, performer and presenter Jools Holland says his production teams over the years deserve much of the credit for the success of the TV series which bears his name; Later with Jools Holland; which has seen an almost unbroken run since it launched on BBC Two in 1992. It's clear from his recent chat with Oliver Callan that Holland’s knack of forming deep and lasting friendships with fellow musicians has also played its part in the alchemy of his iconic show.
Jools talks about the Irish musicians he's worked with, the plans for his new tour and the joy he gets from performing and presenting his long-running TV show; combining a selection of established stars with uncannily prescient picks of up-and-coming talent.
Returning to Ireland this June with his Rhythm and Blues Orchestra, Holland tells Oliver that Ireland remains one of his favourite places to play:
"Lovely to be with you for these golden moments. Yeah, I'm very much looking forward to coming. We haven't come for a little bit."
The tour will feature a full 19-piece band along with special guests, promising what Holland describes as something more than just a concert:
"Yeah, I think it's, I tell you what, I was just talking to somebody just now, and I think one of the things I've realized it is, it's an expression of joy… The one overall thing is it being a sort of an expression of joy, which I think is an extension of, actually, my character."
That sense of joy is central to his enduring appeal, both on stage and through his long-running TV show. Reflecting on over three decades of showcasing artists, Holland emphasized the collaborative nature of discovering talent:
"Well, as I always say, there's no 'I’ in team spirit. And I think that generally you find it's a team… it's also a home for people that don't have a home elsewhere on television, whether it's pop music, you know, I don't know, reggae music or whatever it is."
Holland’s says that audiences today are more open-minded than ever. He pushed back against the idea that musical tastes are divided by age or genre:
"Well, it doesn't work like that. In my view, I think people are much more broad-minded musically. They're much more open to new things and to old things… People aren't like that. People are much more open to all sorts of music and all sorts of ages."
He expanded on this with a vivid image of shared musical appreciation across generations:
"You go in a pub, you see an old man singing his favourite song at the piano… people can see the heart in that as much as they can a brand-new person singing their song at 16 on a guitar."
Holland’s affection for Irish artists also shone through, and many have become good friends, like Wicklow native Hozier; with whom the friendship has become a family affair:
"Hozier, of course, is fantastic… But most importantly, his dad's a big model railway enthusiast… And we're friends."
Jools added that Hozier’s Dad has even gifted him model railway carriages, contributing to his "little sort of Irish section of goods wagons trundling through."
Holland also shares his reflections on Sinéad O’Connor, whose powerful 1995 performance remains a landmark moment in the history of Later with Jools Holland:
"Sinéad was really, you know, she was a very sweet person and had strong convictions and views… all of that mashes up into a person that's a really great artist, which she was."
He also highlighted the importance of giving artists space to express themselves fully, even when it challenges audiences:
"Our programme was hopefully that's what I hope it would be, is for the artists to do whatever they feel is right… sometimes those things are kind of edgy and they're kind of, you know, they're provocative. But that's no bad thing."
With 50 years of a career in the music business and 67 seasons of his TV show, Holland’s enthusiasm remains undimmed — grounded in a love of music, collaboration, and the collective experience of the joy of live music.
Jules Holland and his Rhythm and Blues Orchestra are due to play at Dublin's 3 Arena in Belfast, in Sligo and Wexford in June 2026.