We have a date for the Late Late Toy Show – so mark your calendars now

The countdown is on.

To families across Ireland, the Late Late Toy Show is in many ways the event that really kick-starts the festive season every year. It is the night when so many of us put up the Christmas tree. When children are allowed to stay up late and when we all really start to feel those childish flutterings of real seasonal magic once more. And now, we can all start shopping for festive pj's because we have the actual date for then this year's Late Late Toy Show will air. In fact, it seems we have had the date for quite some time. Last January, Ryan Tubridy took to Instagram stories to share a snap of the new 2021 calendars that were going up on the wall in his RTÉ office. And eager fans noted that there was a very important date marked off already. In the shared image, the TV host wrote: "‘Our 2021 Planner arrived. Only one certainty! Tinsel marks the spot." Marking it with a tiny festive ornament, Tubridy unknowingly (or accidentally on purpose!) unveiled when viewers will be able to enjoy this year’s Late Late Toy Show. And that date is Friday, November 26th. In other words, just seven weeks to go! Last year’s Toy Show was, the first time ever, filmed with no audience in the studio, and the whole show had to go virtual due to the ongoing pandemic we were still in the middle of then. However, Ryan still managed to make the night magical, and had a number of children on the show who went through their favourite toys and made quite the impression on the nation. I mean; who can ever forget six-year-old Adam King – who has since gone on to become a national treasure. As we look forward to what this year's show will bring, it seems RTÈ is still accepting applications for show auditions, so if you know a child who wants to be on this year's Late Late Toy Show, now is the time to send that form in!