Ryan Tubridy Sinéad O'Connor (the "crazy performing monkey" incident), former MEP Paul Murphy (whose guest appearance contrasted glaringly with Miriam O'Callaghan's "Prime Time" interview of Enda Kenny the previous night) and Mia Farrow ("What's the matter with you anyway? Jesus!"). In May 2011, a former director of television at RTÉ, Helen O'Rahilly, said of "The Late Late Show": "If I was back in charge of RTÉ, you wouldn't see this utter shite on Friday night". In March 2012, Tubridy made his American television debut during which he discussed his book, "JFK in Ireland". His debut was received positively by industry professionals and
The Late Late Show (season 48) was designed by Darragh Treacy. The opening of ticket applications was announced on 28 August 2009. Bookmakers began to offer bets for the identity of Tubridy's first guest, with actor Denzel Washington being reported as one of the favourites. "Irish Independent" television critic John Boland offered Tubridy some tips on being a good chat show host; these included a ban on C-list celebrities, a sense of humour and plenty of surprises. Ryan Tubridy's first episode included several high-profile guests, including Cherie Blair, Joan Collins, Sharon Corr and David Gray. The 204-member studio audience included Tubridy's mother. The orchestra was notably