What the Keatings and the Kennys are doing at Christmas

THE SOCIAL NETWORK:Yvonne Keating brought her three children, Jack, Missy and Ali to the touring production of Oliver!, which opened in the Bord Gais Energy Theatre on Thursday evening.

Yvonne is looking forward to the family’s annual celebration of Christmas in the K Club. She won’t be doing any cooking and will be putting her feet up. She is looking forward to Ronan joining them for Christmas. “We’re all excited about seeing him,” she said. She did not know whether his new partner, the TV producer Storm Uechtritz, would be joining them.

Charles Dickens’s great-great granddaughter, Nicky Dickens-Flynn, was delighted to attend the opening night. Her grandfather, Admiral Sir Gerald Dickens, was a son of Sir Henry Fielding Dickens, who was one of the author’s sons. Nicky was accompanied by her son, JD Flynn, who works in the Shelbourne Hotel. Coincidentally, Charles Dickens spent some time in the Shelbourne when he visited Dublin.

Pat Kenny is expecting to be sick for Christmas. “The only thing I dread is that every time I take time off for Christmas I get sick. It’s just one of those things,” the broadcaster said. He doesn’t help out with the cooking on Christmas Day. “I keep everybody watered and Kathy keeps them fed. I go down to the Forty Foot with the dogs. I don’t swim but I look at all the mad people jumping in on Christmas morning.”

Kenny is not happy about The Frontline being gobbled up by Prime Time in the New Year. “I obviously would prefer Frontline; we spent an awful lot of time building up the brand. I’d prefer to keep it,” he said. “But logistically we’ll all be in the one studio. It will look the same. It will have the same animation and the same signature tune. They are doing this to save money.”

Who we spotted: Harry Crosbie; Peter Sheridan; Lorraine Keane; Matt Cooper; Jenny Buckley; Larry Gogan