Sinn Féin leader and 'Dancing with the Stars' hopefuls to appear on Friday's Late Late Show

Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald, Toy Show star Saoibh Lonergan, Irish women's team manager Vera Pauw, and the contestants in the upcoming series of 'Dancing with the Stars' will be among the guests on this Friday's Late Late Show.

In a week when she hit the headlines, leader of the opposition and president of Sinn Féin Mary Lou McDonald will join Ryan to discuss her party's performance in the polls, what a united Ireland might look like, and her reaction to Shane Ross's biography about her.

It’s been a big year for Republic of Ireland manager Vera Pauw as she created history by guiding the national women's team to its first ever appearance at the World Cup finals in Australia/New Zealand next summer.

She will join Ryan to talk about life since that big night in Scotland and how she is feeling about 2023.

'Dancing with the Stars' returns in January, and Late Late Show viewers will meet the first four celebrity dancers who'll be taking to the dancefloor.

Singer and Eurovision star Brooke Scullion, former GAA player Paul Brogan, businesswoman, TV presenter and influencer Suzanne Jackson, and drag artist and activist Panti Bliss (aka Rory O'Neill) will be chatting to Ryan about being the class of 2023, who's already the one-to-watch, and who plans on wearing the most sequins!

After nearly 50 years in the business, comedian Lenny Henry will chat about singing with Kate Bush, writing a children's novel and an autobiography, as well as having an Irish accent in The Lord of the Rings prequel Power of the Rings.

One of last week's Toy Show superstars, Saoibh Lonergan, also joins Ryan on the couch to catch up after an incredibly busy week and tells us about hanging out with her music therapist Alison, singing at Temple Street, and planning her trip to Disneyland Paris.

Musical guests will include Andrea Corr, who will perform 'It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas' from her new release, The Christmas Album, while Col Patterson makes his Late Late debut performing his critically acclaimed single, 'Bedford Falls'.

The Late Late Show airs on RTÉ One this Friday (December 2) at 9.35pm.