Ryan Tubridy says he’s happy for Tommy Tiernan’s chat show success but insists his show shouldn't be compared to the Late Late Show.
The RTE host, who is heading into his 15th year at the helm of the Friday night series, said it is ‘all peace and love’ between the pair - despite their chat shows often being pitted against each other in ratings and viewer reactions.
But the seasoned host, 49, claims there are too many differences between both programmes to ever compare them like for like.
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Asked if he would ever adapt the popular ‘spontaneous’ element of The Tommy Tiernan Show, which sees the comic interview guests without any knowledge of who they are before hand, Tubridy said: “Well I’ll tell you what, nothing is more spontaneous than a live show, which Tommy’s of course isn’t.
“And that’s the difference between us.
“Tommy's is tremendous. But ours is a different class of spontaneity. It's very, very alive.
“I’d like to be a bit more myself maybe. I mean, the guy you meet around a table like this, it's kind of different to the guy you see on TV on Fridays.
“But he does have the advantage of editing it down in a way I don’t. So it is not comparing like with like.
“What he does is brilliant in that style and we do our best hell for leather in fully live. So they are two different shows.”
The Dubliner, who also hosts a morning show daily on RTE Radio 1, added: “Tommy’s success is RTE’s success, is my success, it is a family success,” and said he’d even love to be a guest on the Saturday night series if he got the invite.
“Of course I would if I was invited, but no I haven't been invited. Because could you imagine what people would say if I went on Tommy show? RTE eating eachother up, but it would be great.
“But I did do his radio show when he did his version of it but not the TV thing.
“I went to see him at the Comedy Festival. It was gas. We had a beer afterwards. It was good fun.
“It's all peace and love, I'm afraid.”
As social media has exploded, Ryan admits that life off the camera as the star of stalwart show, The Late Late Show, has gotten a lot more ‘intense’.
He told Irish Daily Mirror: “The sacrifice bit of it goes with the territory. What I didn't realise was when I started off the business that phones will become movie cameras.
“And that's, that's that's one of the things, but I'm sure I've said it to you guys before, if you don't want to be filmed on phones or photographed, you can stay in or go to a country that no one knows who you are. I don't know what that country is yet. I haven't found that country. It is gas.”
“But it has become more intense. I mean, it's much nicer if somebody says ‘can I have a picture because I always say Yes, always.
“But when it's the surreptitious filming on the dart, or in the queue at the airport or something, it can be a little bit invasive.
“There are bigger problems in the world. That's not one of them. But yeah I'm just answering your question.
Asked if he has ever thought about life post show, without the hustle and bustle that comes with being RTE’s top star, he added: “No, I think I'm still too needy and attention seeking to think about going quieter.
“I think I have too much energy and neediness yet. But I have given thought to that moment where I go, ‘You know what, it's been great fun. And now it's time to take a turn in the road’. “I'm just not there yet. So the answer is no. I haven't thought about that.
“If I need to take holidays, and I can take time off and mind myself I do quite well.
“I've got a small amount of friends and family and I love them and some of them love me. “So yeah, I keep it tight. And so I'm okay.”
“And then when I do finish up in my job on TV, like the Late Late Show, for example, it'll all just die down.
“Because at the moment you're very well known here, because of the show and all that, but that does go away eventually.
“So I know I can ultimately turn off that switch if I want to. But I don't want to yet, because I'm still so needy.”
He later added: “I mean, I'm so deep into the Late Late Show that when I say post Late Late Show, yeah, of course, you've got to think about life afterwards. But it's just not today or tomorrow. “And in fact, it's just so far away that I can't think straight as to what might be on the agenda.”
Ryan was speaking at the RTE new season launch at Dublin’s RDS yesterday where it was confirmed that he would be returning for his 15th year at the helm of the Late Late Show as it celebrates its 61st season.
Tommy’s chat show was also confirmed for a return this winter, as well as a brand new show with the comic travelling around the West of Ireland titled ‘Tommy Tiernan’s Epic West’.
Meanwhile, former RTE Radio 1 host Sean O’Rourke will make a return to the broadcaster with a new political documentary, titled Two Tribes, which will follow the diverging paths taken by Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael in the post-civil war landscape.
The show will mark his first return to RTE in two years since retiring from his radio role on the Today show in May 2020, and stepping away from other planned projects later on due to being involved in the controversy surrounding ‘Golfgate’.
Other announcements thoughout the programme included brand-new series North Sea Connection, SisterS, The Dry, Clean Sweep, and the return of dramas Kin and Smother, and entertainment shows Dancing with the Stars and Ireland’s Fittest Family.
Dee Forbes, Director General, RTÉ, said: "Today, RTÉ's new season launch is a celebration of Irish culture, Irish stories, and Irish creativity, while reflecting our vital role in creating a shared space for important discussion and debate, for supporting Irish talent, for celebration, for telling national stories and marking national moments.
“With 40 hours of original Irish drama, this is RTÉ's biggest drama slate to date and brings exciting new talent to our screens.”
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