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# nights in
Sofa Watch: Dermot Bannon returns to the Late Late (again)
All you need to know about your Irish and international chat show options.
AS ANOTHER FRIDAY night rolls around, a bit of socially distant light banter might help to break up the monotony.
With the drop in temperatures, there’s no better night to sit on the couch and watch some quality chat shows.
Here’s our latest round-up of talk show content from the week and what will be on tonight. There should be plenty here to keep anyone occupied.
- The Late Late Show, RTÉ One, 9.35pm
If you had Dermot Bannon on your Late Late Show guest bingo card, please mark it off now. The celebrity architect will be on to tell us how Covid has changed how we all live at home and our evolving design needs. I’ll go out on a limb here and guess the must-have home design for 2021 will be a padded cell vibe.
Thin Lizzy frontman Phil Lynott’s daughters, Sarah and Cathleen, will be on to speak about a new documentary about their dad, and how Phil never forgot where he came from. Following their interview, rising Irish star, Loah, will perform her version of Thin Lizzy’s Dancing in the Moonlight.
Chatting tonight via video link are Piers Morgan and former Arsenal manager, Arsene Wenger. Morgan will be sharing his views on Boris Johnson, Donald Trump, and ‘woke liberals’, while Wenger will be discussing his career and his encounters with Roy Keane, Alex Ferguson, and Thierry Henry.
Hurling star Henry Shefflin will be on to chat about work with Focus Ireland, moving to management, and this year’s unique hurling championship.
Irish rugby’s Rob Kearney will be telling Ryan why he is rooting for Joe Biden, who he calls Uncle Joe. He’ll also speak publicly for the first time about how a family tragedy has been the driving force behind some of his proudest sporting moments.
- The Graham Norton Show, BBC One, 10.45pm
If one appearance of Arsene Wenger wasn’t enough for you, he’ll also be on Graham Norton. Joining him are Samuel L Jackson, Dawn French, and Freddie Flintoff.
Tonight’s musical guest is Michael Kiwanuka who will be performing his single, Light.
Across the pond
Over in the US, Biden and Trump held two duelling town halls last night, which Jimmy Kimmel briefly dissects if you don’t care to watch yourself. Kimmel thinks it’s an uphill battle for Trump at this stage and tips him as the next judge on America’s Got Talent. We’d all watch.
Kimmel also spoke with Liam Neeson about quarantining in New York and his friendship with Bono, which everyone seems to be doing at the moment (cc: Jon Bon Jovi). He said their friendship started after Paul asked him for an autograph.
On Last Week Tonight, John Oliver takes a look at various efforts to destabilise the vote in the 2020 US presidential election, and why America may need to prepare for an election month rather than just one night. Fun times ahead.
Meanwhile, Trevor Noah weighs in on Trump’s fixation with Hunter Biden, Burisma, and a conspiracy theory claiming Obama faked Osama Bin Laden’s death.
Noah also spoke with New York’s Governor Andrew Cuomo about the state’s coronavirus response and his new book.
From the archives
If you enjoy car crash chat show appearances you may enjoy Meg Ryan v Michael Parkinson, The Bee Gees Vs Clive Anderson, or even Kay Burley making Peter Andre cry.
Who knows what else will be added to the list after the weekend, but none will surely top David Blaine on This Morning. He refused to answer any of Eamon Holmes questions, with Holmes awkwardly laughing it off, calling the whole thing “different”.
