RTÉ launches lottery for Late Late Toy Show golden tickets

RTÉ has launched its annual lottery for golden tickets for the Late Late Toy Show, a television event so important that this year it affected the timing of the upcoming general election.

For months now, the received wisdom in Leinster House has been that whatever other date the election might be, you could put the contents of your last Christmas stocking on it not being Friday, December 6.

Now, with just over a month to go, The Late Late Toy Show - not the musical, the other one, the one that people do want to go to - is calling on “big kids around the country” to apply to its ticket lottery, but has warned that demand for the show's coveted golden tickets is certain to far outstrip supply.

“As demand for tickets exceeds supply each year, tickets will be allocated by random selection to give all that apply a fair and equal chance at being in the audience,” a spokesperson for the Late Late Show said.

The Late Late Toy Show is scheduled to air on Friday, December 6, and is expected to be one of the most watched programmes of the year.

Last year it had more than 1.7 million viewers, and received a record 550,000 streams on RTÉ Player, with viewers across 147 countries.

The Toy Show Appeal, which helps several children’s charities and causes, raised €3.6m.

Applicants for tickets are asked to go to rte.ie/latelate.

Applicants will be asked to fill out a questionnaire and share their favourite Christmas song.

Tickets are non-transferable, and applicants must be available on Friday December 6.

“It’s that special time of the year where I become weirdly popular with family, friends and complete strangers,” Late Late Show host Patrick Kielty said.

“And yet they all just want to ask me the same question: ‘Any chance of an aul ticket for the Toy Show?’” 

Successful applicants will be contacted the week before the Toy Show.