Uncle Gaybo nostalgia strikes at the heart of RTE’s ailing revenues
THE Ireland of ‘ Uncle Gaybo’ is long gone and amid the life- affirming anecdotes and scenes last week was a spontaneous round of applause as his remains were carried from Dublin’s Pro- Cathedral to a waiting hearse.
The image was striking. In life the man was unique. Gaybo had the common touch, both on radio and TV. He put it up to figures of authority, but most importantly he was always relevant. Whether it was brandishing the latest water gun to gleefully soak his audience during the Toy Show, or talking about condoms and sex, the little man with the big charm knew TV, knew entertainment and knew how to get a reaction.
He was an informed, friendly voice to our nation from 1967 to 1999 on the Late Late Show, through recessions and many miserable periods in Irish life. The second the rousing theme song erupted from the telly, excitement filled sittingrooms. The the owl flew, the Blue Nun or Harp was opened and viewers knew they were guaranteed an evening’s entertainment. Byrne’s smiling face cheered up viewers on Saturday, and later Friday nights throughout the Troubles, the Eighties and into the more affluent Nineties. He gave numerous bands their big break, from U2 to Boyzone, but we’ll forgive him for that because he gave the boys a proper Gaybo grilling.
Be it the Annie Murphy interview about her affair with former Bishop of Galway Eamonn Casey, his interview with a freshly shorn headed Sinead O’Connor and a Pee Flynn interview that got the nation talking, Byrne was always in the thick of it. A conservative who sometimes spoke when he should have remained silent, we were all the better for his opinions, for Gaybo held a mirror up to the nation. He was that mirror. By walking that tightrope of being an entertaining talk show host who also managed to do serious interviews, he was unique.
Of course there have been others who have shone in the Late Late Show host role, afterall being good at chatting, although a skill, is not a sign of a brilliant mind or spirit. Graham Norton is great, but his Friday night late show is more big lights entertainment than a show in which the soul of the nation is laid bare. There are other examples in America, but again few have stood the test the time like Gaybo.
At his peak Byrne was attracting several hundred thousand viewers. Ryan Tubridy has done an admirable job and is excellent at the Toy Show which will be hitting our screen shortly, but he’s a bit cerebral compared to Gaybo, who, like his name, was all about fun. The twinkle in his eye and the way he won over the nation, (or drove them mad), with his comments and self-satisfied smile has not been repeated by any other Irish TV star. Even when he returned with The Meaning of Life show in the middle of this decade, he was still generating headlines. Sadly, our national broadcaster has, like so many media outlets, fallen on desperate times since its halcyon days with Gaybo and Co. It was relevant and didn’t face competition from online providers. Slashing the station’s stars’ pay won’t – on its own – solve the problem. I’m sure its management sometimes wish they were in charge back in the Ireland of Gay Byrne.