THE TWO STAPLE Friday chat shows – the Late Late and Graham Norton – are on their summer hiatus so it’s mainly across the pond that you can get your fix of affable hosts speaking to a range of guests. 

The weather has been positively foul in recent days and with plenty of grim news in the headlines, a bit of light entertainment doesn’t go amiss. 

Here’s our latest round-up of talk show content from the week and what will be on this weekend. There should be plenty here to keep anyone occupied.  

The US

One of the most consistently viral videos among the US talk show hosts is Jimmy Kimmel’s regular Quarantine Monologues.

This week’s on Donald Trump got over 2 million views on YouTube and features an excellent use of the word “bigly”.

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert had some hard-hitting content this week, with an interview with former Democratic presidential hopeful Kamala Harris. 

She told Colbert why she’d be “honoured” to join the Biden ticket in the upcoming election and why the nationwide Black Lives Matter protests won’t go away. 

Also on Colbert, comedian Mike Birbiglia tried out some new material but what’s most enjoyable from this clip is how problematic the simple question “how are you” has become. 

The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, meanwhile, had this excellent breakdown of the difference between symbolic gestures and real action in fighting racial injustice and supporting the Black Lives Matter movement.

Over on The Tonight Show, Jimmy Fallon was having socially distant chats with Sean Penn, Don Cheadle and a Mayan conspiracy theorist this week. 

He also had social distancing to thank, among other things, ahead of Father’s Day.

Closer to home

On that theme of Father’s Day, the English comedian Jack Whitehall has a show tonight on BBC One at 8.30pm featuring him having a socially distant celebration with his father. 

Whitehall is then on the new chat show from Peter Crouch – yes, the footballer – to play something called Musical VAR tomorrow night at 9.45pm on BBC One. 

As a football fan, I can say that if it’s anything like the real VAR, it’ll be frustrating, sometimes baffling and open to interpretation.

Meanwhile, on Sunday at 6.40pm, TG4 has a new episode of Daniel sa Bhaile where the singer Daniel O’Donnell talks with Armagh native and Folk Singer of the Year winner Ríoghnach Connolly.

Apparently, himself and his wife Majella will perform Kangoo Jumping.

Having googled what that actually is, I could suggest a description similar to that of VAR above. It does sound worth a watch though. Best of luck to them!

From the archives

It wouldn’t be a season of The Late Late Show without Christy Dignam coming on and singing a tune.

Way before we’d ever heard of Covid-19, he went on the show last September and sang this stunning version of Waltzing Matilda.

Sit back and enjoy.