London edition of Late Late Show to host Brexit debate

As anyone that has been exposed at all to Ryan Tubridy's Instagram over the past day or so will already be aware, The Late Late Show host is taking the show on the road this week, swapping the familiar environment of RTE's Donnybrook studio for a special London edition that aims to celebrate the Irish in Britain.

The show will take place in front of an audience of 1200 people at the Central Hall in Westminster, with over 15000 having applied for tickets. Tubridy has been teasing some of the guests over the past 24 hours in his social media posts for what promises to be a lively show.

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Fittingly due to the location, a debate on Brexit will take centre stage on the show this week. From the specific effects the UK's decision to leave the EU will have on Ireland, to the wider implications it will have on Europe as a whole, the referendum has been a constant news fixture and remained shrouded in controversy since it took place in June of 2016.

Facing off in the debate will be former UKIP leader, general Brexit advocate and - ironically - MEP Nigel Farage and Alastair Campbell, former spokesperson of then-Prime Minister Tony Blair.

Farage last appeared on the Late Late Show in 2015 and sparked controversy - as he tends to - for his views on his then-party's place in politics, and also that of the UK's in the European Union. He was one of the primary voices behind the campaign to vote leave in the referendum, only to then resign from his post as party leader soon after the results came in. The decision received widespread criticism, and in the subsequent chaotic fallout of Brexit and it's attempted deal-brokering (or lack thereof) Farage has been accused of having misled the British people.

On the other side of the debate, Campbell himself is no stranger to such controversies, having been viewed by many as partially responsible for deceiving the public when spinning the notion that it was necessary for the UK to invade Iraq in 2003 in his role as Labour Party Spin Doctor. He is however a prominent figure in British politics that is strongly opposed to Brexit, thus he will lock horns with Farage on the show tomorrow night.

Joining them will be Liberal Democrat Baroness Dee Doocey on the anti-Brexit side, with Liam Halligan joining Farage on the pro-Brexit side.

As a celebration of Irish people in Britain, Tubridy will also be hearing the stories of those who emigrated to London and set up new lives for themselves.

Fellow talk show host Graham Norton will be in attendance to discuss his new book A Keeper and his many successes in the UK, with Mrs Brown Boy's star Brendan O'Carroll will also be in tow to discuss his own television triumphs.

Representing Ireland's media exports will be Laura Whitmore, Angela Scanlon and Eamonn Holmes. Laura has an interview with Glamour Magazine's Samantha Barry in the new Hot Press, and the trio will be on hand to talk about their experiences on British airwaves.

The worlds of sport and music will also be more than covered by former Ireland manager Mick McCarthy and boxing champion Barry McGuigan, as well as Imelda May and Finbar Furey, who was the recent recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award.

Rounding off the show will be a performance from an Irish ceilí "supergroup", while all of Andrea and Caroline Corr, The Chieftains' Paddy Moloney, The Dubliners’ John Sheahan, Clannad’s Moya Brennan and John Spillane will be joining their considerable musical forces for a special showing.