The RTÉ scandal was a hydra-headed monster with some in the station appearing to present their debacle as Ryan Tubridy’s disgrace and demonising his manager Noel Kelly as some sort of pantomime villain.

But perhaps the real scandal is the enormous failures of corporate governance and culture that were allowed to build up in the station over many years. 

In this podcast with Louis Walsh, the veteran show business manager and agent, who has sent his clients down the boreens of Ireland and on to the international citadels of showbiz success and glamour, tells me how he sees RTÉ, where the station needs to go, what is next for Tubridy and more… much more.  

Some highlights are below, but please do enjoy listening to the interview in full. 

Kelly’s brawn

Walsh is pragmatic when it comes to the role of the brains and brawn of Noel Kelly, who was presented in Oireachtas committee meetings as the great protector of his biggest star, Tubridy.

“He was in a good place with Ryan Tubridy because Ryan Tubridy is popular,” Walsh said. “He’s on the radio every day and he was doing his TV show on a Friday night. So, you couldn’t escape Ryan Tubridy,” 

“Ryan was like the new Gay Byrne or the new Pat Kenny, so he was in a strong position with RTÉ because RTÉ needed Ryan Tubridy.

Walsh describes Kelly as a “good hustler” who fulfilled his job description of “getting as much money as you possibly can” when negotiating for Tubridy’s contract. 

“Ryan Tubridy was marketing himself. He was always marketing. He’s always on stage, he’s always on show, he’s always being this person Ryan Tubridy. And he had Noel Kelly as an agent. Noel Kelly was there to get him as much money as he possibly could. That was his job. And I would have done the same.”

Old-fashioned RTÉ

After watching “probably the best drama RTÉ has ever produced” on Oireachtas TV, Walsh was critical of the RTÉ executive board and questioned its ability to lead a modern station successfully.

“I think we saw (that) in the Oireachtas report, they are very dated, very old-fashioned and there was no edge to them,” Walsh said. “There was no honesty.”

“It was bland and it was boring, and you wouldn’t want them running your TV station. That’s why they should change them all, get rid of them all.

“I liked the Sinn Féin people because they were giving out and roaring and shouting and everything. They kind of made it interesting for me.”

Bakhurst’s era

Last week, Kevin Bakhurst, the new director general, and Tubridy sat down for what RTÉ described as an “open and constructive” one-to-one meeting, that will be repeated in “a few weeks”. 

But to date, Bakurst has publicly said he will not deal with Kelly. The practicalities of this may make it impossible for Tubridy and Kelly to remain a team, according to Walsh. 

“I think he’s going to have to meet Noel Kelly. He really is,” Walsh said. 

“Because Ryan Tubridy needs Noel Kelly; Noel Kelly needs Ryan Tubridy… and RTÉ needs Tubridy.”

Outside of the ongoing fuss over Renault payments and Toy Show the Musical in the news, Walsh reckons Bakhurst is going to have to make a lot more big changes at the station and then find new talent across the departments.

“I think Kevin just needs to be upfront with everybody. Just tell us the truth, you know?

“He can’t work miracles overnight, you know? But it’s quite a good station for politics and sport and things, you know. He needs to get the light entertainment right. He needs to find some new presenters and new producers.”

Tubridy’s future

Much has been made over the timing of Tubridy’s departure from The Late Late Show. The presenter has sworn that he knew nothing of the audit when he decided to leave the flagship show in March 2023 and Maia Dunphy, the broadcaster and writer, says he confided his intention to leave to her before this. Interim director general Adrian Lynch told the Oireachtas committee it was possible Tubridy knew of the audit before his announcement to leave. 

Walsh found Tubridy’s decision to leave “very strange” and wondered why he would leave while he was still at the top and with no one pushing him out the door. 

“It was getting a bit boring, the show was kind of bland, let’s be honest, and all this ‘one for everyone in the audience’. It became very predictable, you know? 

“And I stopped watching it for that reason, because when Gay Byrne was on or Pat Kenny, you didn’t know what was going to come up. With Ryan Tubridy, you knew what was going to come up.

“It got boring. It needs to be more exciting. I used to love going out there. Now it’s kind of boring. The people have long faces. There’s nobody interested. There’s nobody excited when you go out to The Late Late Show. They’re just kind of going through the motions. We don’t want that anymore. We need some positive energy.”

Tubridy’s role in public life and the source of his next pay-check remain uncertain, but Walsh is convinced that he’ll be back on radio, either on RTÉ or on Newstalk.

Hacking and settlement talks

Louis Walsh also believes that his phone was hacked in the UK and ongoing negotiations with a newspaper are expected to reach a settlement soon. I asked him if the settlement would be worth the price of a one-bedroom flat?

“It’s good,” he replied. “ It depends where the flat is.”

Ah, location, location, location.

Further reading

Sam Smyth: RTÉ’s never-ending woes confirm there is no business like show business