Late Late Show will broadcast from London in October

Programme aims to celebrate cultural links between Britain and Ireland despite Brexit

Ryan Tubridy: We think it’s time to say ‘no matter what happens with Brexit, we’re always going to be friends’. Photograph: Aidan Crawley/The Irish Times
Ryan Tubridy: We think it’s time to say ‘no matter what happens with Brexit, we’re always going to be friends’. Photograph: Aidan Crawley/The Irish Times

The Late Late Show is to be broadcast from London on October 12th in only the second time an episode has been filmed outside Ireland.

The programme will be broadcast from a yet-to-be disclosed city centre venue in London with a capacity for 1,000 people. This will make it potentially the biggest ever audience for a Late Late Show, and the producers are now looking for audience members to participate.

The Late Late Show was last broadcast from London during a St Patrick’s Day special in 1980.

Host Ryan Tubridy said: "For the first time in the ten years I've been presenting The Late Late Show, we're packing our bags and heading to London town. Why? We're going there because we think it's time to say 'no matter what happens with Brexit, we're always going to be friends, culturally, socially and every way imaginable.' It's going to be very big, very exciting and, of course, great fun."

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The Late Late Show London Special aims to reflect the impact the Irish have had in Britain and explore the cultural, political, social and economic ties that bind the two islands. The stories of those Irish who took the ferry or a flight to Britain to find success or otherwise will be part of the show.

Mr Tubridy added: “We have plenty of tickets, but they are limited so we want to make sure that the Irish in Britain get their chance to be part of it. If you are part of that community and have a story to tell, we want to hear from you.

“You might have gone across the Irish Sea to build the underground, or to work as a nurse, or maybe you went to visit friends, found love and never came home.

“Whatever it is, if you have a bit of Irish in you, you are welcome to join us on the night. It is as simple as that. Go to the website, tell us about yourself. We are celebrating all things Irish in Britain and we want you to be there with us.”

Demand for tickets is expected to be high and will be allocated by lottery. Full details of how to apply are available at www.rte.ie/latelate

Ronan McGreevy

Ronan McGreevy

Ronan McGreevy is a news reporter with The Irish Times